Appearances Can Be Deceiving
by Martiangirl
Summary: The Queen makes Marv an offer and Jacob returns with a secret. Will Sam and Daf escape in time to help? And who is this mysterious person and why is she interested in Swackhammer? Chapter 10 finally uploaded!
1. Default Chapter

Summary: You think you know Marvin the Martian? What if you don't? What if that meek exterior was just for TV and that he had a past before he got into acting? A past that still continues to haunt him? This has to be first Loony Tunes angst fic in the history of humanity!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Loony Tunes. Otherwise, I'd be very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very rich. Thank you.   
  
**Appearances Can Be Deceiving**

He sat in the corner observing his colleagues eating, dancing, and generally making fools out of themselves. Tweety was being chased by Sylvester, who was being pursued by Hector, who was running from a cane-wielding Granny. Bugs and Daffy were having another one of their heated arguments with Bugs somehow managing to trick the fiery-tempered mallard into agreeing with him. And as usual Taz was devouring all the refreshments within eyesight. It was a typical celebration for a not so typical cast of characters.

He leaned back into his chair glaring at the bunch of them. He often wondered why he bothered attending these pointless functions. Hell, he wondered why they even invited him. He wasn't as gentle or as meek as his roles made him out to be, and they all knew it. Though they claimed to be his friends, they were all wary of him. And for good reason. 

At his feet, his faithful companion K-9 dozed peaceful despite the blaring music. He sighed and imagined briefly what it would be like to be him. Though remarkably intelligent for a hound, he still retained that blissful ignorance that all animals have. Never caring for the future except for his next meal or when he'd be able to get another chance at chasing squirrels or frisbees at the park. He wished he could have such a carefree life. Sometimes he even wished he could join in the idle conversations of his fellow toons. However, even if they knew nothing about his origins, he doubted that he'd be accepted. He was literally an alien among them. The only person he had ever had a decent relationship on this planet was Sam, he supposed. The two shared a mutual respect for one another. Marvin for his deadly aim and skills. Sam for his appreciation and knowledge of firearms. Of course, he wasn't always so hospitable to him. 

Marvin sipped the last remnants of his drink. He crushed the empty cup in one hand and tossed it nonchalantly over his shoulder into a trash bin. Tired and unable to stand the spectacle any longer, he nudged K-9 awake and motioned for him to follow him out of the dance hall and into his spacecar parked outside. He turned the ignition and blasted as far away as he could get back to his apartment. 

He trudged up the stairs wearily, since experience had shown him that only the suicidal would trust the elevator. K-9 bounded ahead of him, barking and play bowing, excited to finally be home and just a few minutes away from a warm bowl of Alpo. Marvin fumbled through his pockets for his card key when a booming voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the General himself!" Marvin inwardly winced. The last thing he needed was the attention of this imbecile.   
  
"What do you want, Swackhammer?" Marvin managed in his trademark nasal high voice, not bothering to hide his annoyance. At his side, K-9 snarled threateningly. By the heavens, he had no idea why those idiots at Warner Bros. felt it necessary to keep jerks like Swackhammer around long after they had used up their usefulness. In the old days, the executives would never let a sleazebag like him hang around. Unfortunately for everyone, most of those fellows were either deceased or retired. The current executives cared only for profit and would probably hire out Jack the Ripper if they thought he'd bring them money. He narrowed his eyes and turned to glare at the criminal alien. 

"I just want to talk. It isn't everyday that an ordinary guy like me has the _privilege _of conversing with someone of your esteemed prestige, let alone live in the same apartment building." his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"If this conversation doesn't have a point, I'll be retiring to my quarters now."   
  
"What's the matter, General? Finally realized that your little Earth buddies will always see you for what you really are? A freak as well as a-"   
  
"Shut up! Nobody asked you!" Swackhammer chuckled as he pulled a long drag from his cigar.   
  
"No need to be temperamental. You know, other than my minions and your mutt, we're the only space beings on this rock. Guys like us have to stick together." Swackhammer smirked evilly, eyeing the shorter alien before him. Marvin huffed and turned his back on the massive man.   
  
"I'd rather gouge out my eyes than spend another minute of my precious time around you." With that said, Marvin stalked off in a military stride to his door. He slammed the door behind him and slumped against its frame exhausted. K-9 trotted to his side and licked at his face in an attempt to comfort him. He ruffled the emerald fur of his loyal, and probably only true companion on Earth.He glanced up at the digital clock on the wall. It was still early. He went over to his kitchen and opened up a can of food for K-9. It was ironic. Years ago, he'd have robotic servants to do such tasks for him. He'd be living in the elaborate living quarters of the Queen's highest officials instead of in the shoddy apartment he was in now. He was grateful that he was allowed to bring some of his earnings with him to Earth so he could at least live with some semblance of comfort. 

He shook his head. Musing would just get him even more depressed than he already was. He needed to get his mind off of his past. He remembered that he had received a new script in the mail. Apparently, he was supposed to be co-starring in a spin-off show later that year. Dodgers of the 24th century or something like that. Well, as long as he didn't have to spit out that stupid line about blowing up Earth because it obstructed his view of Venus. Honestly, he had no idea where Mr. Jones had come up with _that_ one. Venus, to him, had to be the ugliest planet in this particular solar system. He'd have paid money to see that eyesore removed from his sight. Still, he was only an actor and he had a job that he had to fulfill, unless of course he could learn to give up that consuming habit called eating.

He thumbed through the pages, but he couldn't seem to concentrate. Thoughts flitted through his head. So much time had past since that fateful day. He had hoped to forget everything and start a new life on a new planet, but his past never seemed to let him go. It plagued him like looming shadow, darkening his mood and his mind. His clock beeped midnight. Might as well get to bed. He climbed, still fully clothed, underneath the cool sheets and buried his head into the soft pillow. Maybe tonight he would have better luck sleeping without all those nerve-racking nightmares to keep him up. 

He was startled as he felt a pressure on the bed and the rustling of something in the covers. K-9 snuggled under the blankets near his master. Marvin wrapped himself tight in the sheets and allowed his dog to nuzzle closer. The small helmeted head rested under his chin and a rough wet tongue gently lapped at his hand. He finally gave into his pet's demand and began stroking the soft green fur.

_'K-9. My only friend. At least you don't care about all the horrible things I have done. The battles, the assassinations. . . the executions. You don't judge me or see me as some sort of . . . "freak".' _Swackhammer's voice echoed in his head. He clenched his eyes tight in an effort to keep himself from crying at the memories. He had to be strong. He always had been before. His slender frame shuddered and he hastily tried his best to slip into the unconscious darkness until morning.   
  
  
  
  
  


Well, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Should it be a one-shot, or should I continue the story? Who'd have thought that Marv would be such a complex and emotional little guy? Please R&R!  



	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_"Commander Marvin? I need to have a word with you." The young Martian stepped before his queen and kneeled before her.   
  
"What is it that you request of me, Your Excellency?" A dark slender figure leaned back further into her throne, making her even more difficult to recognize.   
  
"Do you know the 4th quadrant of the Stellar System?" Marvin nodded.   
  
"Indeed, I do. It is the residence of the planet Nam, one of the few planets to house a military comparable to Mars's."   
  
"I assume that as my highest official, you have been keeping up with the latest news. So I don't think it should be any surprise to you that there is to be a coronation of their new king this week. This king looks down on my Empire as one built on fascism. He has sworn that he will build an alliance to help tear down my, as he put it, 'tyrannical regime.' This of course cannot be allowed." Marvin nodded in understanding, seeing where this was going.   
  
"You wish for me to dispose of him, My Potentate?"   
  
"If you don't mind." The Queen of Mars responded with hinting sarcasm. Marvin bowed and placed his fist over his heart in salute.   
  
"It will be as you desire, Your Highness." He turned and strode toward his ship. . .   
  
  
. . . He stood on a rooftop, clothed in the traditional garments of the inhabitants. The streets were crammed with civilians, who were crowding around an elaborate castle. The new soon-to-be king would be appearing on the balcony very soon. At Marvin's side was a lower level soldier, who was assigned to assist him in any way along the mission. K-9 was back running his ship in case they needed a quick escape. The much taller Martian looked away from his binoculars to glance down at his commander.   
  
"I don't understand, Sir. Why does the queen see this fellow as such a big threat? I mean, we both checked out his files and he's just some punk kid. Probably not even out of third level schooling yet. I bet he was just blowing smoke to get the locals on his good side." Marvin didn't bother to glance up as he responded, too busy making the final preparations.   
  
"It is not for us to play moralist. And it is even less of our position to question Her Majesty's motives. We simply do as she tells us to. If she tells us to throw ourselves into the burning mouth of Olympus Mons, then we will. If she tells us to assassinate a teenager because she feels he's a threat to our planet, then by all means we will do so." Marvin glanced up as the roaring cheers of people echoed through the air. It was time._ _  
He took a musical instrument case from behind him, where he had carefully concealed the sniper weapon that would be used. _

_"Are you wearing gloves?" The soldier kneeling in front of him glanced back in confusion._

_"Yeah. . ."   
  
"Good. Don't get fingerprints on it." Marvin tossed the rifle into the hands of the shocked man, who stared at it in dull horror. Marvin could feel his question coming, so he cut it off.__  
"I've been planning every single aspect of this assignment since we've left, down to the slightest detail. The location, the time, escape routes, etc. The least you could do is pull the trigger. Unless of course you have a problem even doing _that_." The Martian took up the gun and shakily took aim. He stood like that for a few seconds before he slowly put the weapon down._ _  
  
"I-I'm sorry, General. I-I can't go through with it. This isn't a battle between armed foes. This isn't a matter of survival. This is just murder. . .of a child. I can't do it."   
  
"Then what good are you?" Marvin snatched the weapon back, took aim, and coolly shot at his target, killing him in an instant._ _"I'm starting to get really sick of having to do everything myself." Marvin calmly packed away the smoking rifle back in its case. Then he noticed his assistant lingering next to him.__  
"What the hell are you still doing here?! Get back to my ship! I'll meet you there. We will discuss your insubordination later." Pulling his cap over his eyes and buttoning up his long coat, the shorter of the two aliens hopped off the roof and slid down the glass fire escape tube into an alley. He strolled nonchalantly through the bustling streets, ignoring the blaring sirens of the local police ships. He turned a corner and eyed his next target._   
_A thin, purple man was entertaining a crowd by playing various exotic musical instruments at the same time. However, Marvin wasn't interested in the man's talent. Behind the musician, there were instrument cases. . .dozens of them. . .the perfect place to dispose of the evidence.  
The crowd cheered as the melody was finished. Marvin took the opportunity to slip his case among those of the innocent artist. He clapped along with the audience and slipped a large credit note into a hat that the performer was collecting money in._ _  
  
"Thank you kindly, sir! Not everyone truly appreciates music these days. It's always a pleasure to please a real music lover!"   
  
"Think nothing of it. I'm sure you'll be making it big in this town someday."   
  
"Heh, one can only hope." The man smiled as he returned to his performance. Marvin turned and strolled back to his ships. He'd hate to be that poor fellow when the local authorities found that weapon in his possession. Nammians were infamous for their agonizing torture of prisoners. . . prior to execution. Long after he left, he could still hear the man's last joyous tune playing in the background. . .   
  
Beep. . .Beep. . .Beep. . . _  
  
Marvin blinked open bleary-eyed. He snatched the offending alarm clock off his drawer and flung it across the room, where it shattered against the wall. He lay in bed for a few minutes trying to process his own thoughts, the remnants of his latest nightmare still lingering in his mind. Every night, a new memory managed to stir and disrupt his sleep. Some worse than others. Some so horrendous he found himself waking up screaming. It was the same thing every night. This one had only been one of many, _many_ other missions.  
He had been such a fool back then. He couldn't believe how stupid and callous he had been. The blood of millions were on his hands, and now it seemed his countless victims were taking their own form of revenge by making him relieve his actions over and over. In a way, he felt he deserved this punishment.  
The familiar barking of his dog reverberated around him as K-9 bounded around the room, willing his owner to wake up to the new day. Marvin stumbled out of bed and stared for a few minutes at his calender before he realized it was Sunday. He collapsed back into the bed eager to try to regain some more sleep, though K-9 would have none of that.  
With his leash in his teeth, the hound bounced hard onto the bed, accidently catapulting the Martian through the ceiling. K-9 peered up at the gaping hole worriedly where his master had disappeared, until he crashed down face first back into the bed. K-9 timidly handed Marvin a note he had. Marvin grappled for it and briefly skimmed over it.  
  
"Okay, K-9. We can go to the park today." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"For the last cotton-picken time, I saw the dang gun! You've been showing off that thing for the past three hours!   
  
"Yeah, wewwl, this won is a genuwine Winschesta! Pewfect fow bwastin that wascawy wabbit!" Yosemite Sam groaned as Elmer polished his newest rifle for the umpteenth time.   
  
"Look, I didn'n wake up this early ta watch ya clean your gun! Are ya gonna shoot anythin or not?!"   
  
"Gee, I don't know. It's a weawy expensive piece of wowk."   
  
"Even the most priceless of weapons are worthless in the hands of an incompetent." Sam and Elmer whirled around in the direction of the third voice. No one save a canine and a small figure in a brown trench coat were in the area. They could have been mistaken for strangers that had just so happen to stumble through the neighborhood, save for the unmistakable headpieces that identified them.   
  
"Hey, Marv." Sam smirked, eager for a distraction from the topic.   
  
"Oh, hewwo, Mawvin." Elmer managed as polite as he could without betraying his nervousness around the Martian.   
  
"So, you two are discussing firearms again?"   
  
"Oh, yes! Check it out! Isn't it wovwy?" Marvin took the rifle out of Elmer's hands and began to examine it. It was certainly a expertly crafted gun, however, he couldn't really tell if it was good for shooting or not.   
  
"I'm no expert in your crude Earthian munitions. However, it seems relatively adequate. What do you think, Sam?"   
  
"Don't look at me. I've already suffered enough." Marvin took a moment to mock aim it.   
  
"So, can you shoot with it, or did you just waste your money on an overly priced wall decoration?" Elmer frowned and snatched the gun back.   
  
"You think you awe so cweva! This baby is not isn't gonna get wecked whiwe I'm awound! I'm keepin it safe and souwnd wit me."   
  
"Pity. For what is a gun good for if you're not intending on using it? However, I suppose I can see why you would be hesitant to use it. It would be most embarrassing to display your utter lack of skill with such a handsome craft." Sam quirked his eye in mild surprise. It was unlike the reserved and seemingly unfeeling Martian to pick a fight for no reason. Marvin must have been in a particularly mischievous mood this morning. This could prove interesting. Beside him, Elmer was turning red.   
  
"Is that so?! Wewl, Mista Smawty Pants, I show you what a weawl hunta can do!" Elmer searched the ground for a moment before he picked up a discarded metal can.  
"Watch me pwug a howle in this can." He tossed the piece of trash high into the air. He took careful aim with his gun. . .waiting. . .waiting. . .the can plunked to the ground before Elmer finally took the shot. And missed. Marvin and Sam stared at it with mutual disbelief. 

"Now that's just pathetic, even for you, Elmer." Marvin finally spoke up after a few minutes. Sam shook his head in pity.

"Tell me 'bout it. Two inches away and he still misses by a mile." The two looked at each other for a moment in silence, before bursting out laughing. Elmer blushed furiously before retreating away from the duo.  
Marvin began to calm down. He had needed a good laugh this morning. He looked back at Sam, who was still going strong. He thought for a moment and then shrugged to himself. It was worth a shot. What did he have to lose?  
  
"So, did you have any breakfast this morning?" Sam wiped a tear from his eye, attempting to compose himself. Marvin continued. "I was wondering. . .perhaps you'd be interested in joining me for a cup of coffee. I'll pay the expenses, of course." Sam face fell. 

"Don't think so. I have some. . . _things_ ta take care of this morning." However, Marvin wasn't about to give up this time.

"Then, how about some other time this week?"   
  
"Look," Sam began more seriously, "_I_ know that you're not like those rumors say, but. . . ya know how people talk. I think it'd be best if we kept our relationship under wraps fer now." The expression on the Martian's eyes showed he was less than pleased.   
  
"You say that as if you're afraid people would think we're dating."   
  
"Hey, I don't have ta explain myself-"   
  
"You're right, you don't. It isn't too hard to see what's really going on here. You're ashamed to be seen around me, aren't you?" Sam was caught off guard by that accusation.  
"You know what? Forget it! I'd hate to force you to do anything that would mortify you to such a extent." Marvin suddenly snapped.   
  
"Hey, I don't have ta stand here and take this, especially not from you!"   
  
"Then don't!"   
  
"FINE!"   
  
"FINE!" The two turned away from each other in rage, with Marvin leaving more miserable than he was that morning. Why the hell did he say those things? He had only succeeded in isolating himself further. He turned around to look for Sam, but he was nowhere in sight. He'd have to catch up with him later and apologize. He sat down on a green bench. K-9 was barking excitedly, holding a note with his ear that he had managed to scribble down.   
  
_Dear Commander,_

_It is my humblest request, that I be reprieved of my duties for this morning as your acting lieutenant in order that I may spend some time with my fellow canine comrades._

_  
  
_

_ Sincerely,  
K-9_

  
Marvin nodded, sending his companion sprinting away to play with the other dogs in the park. He sat there for a while watching the bunch of them frolic in the grass and chase butterflies. Presently, he became aware of a presence sitting next to him. He ignored it at first, but he soon began to notice that the person was slowly inching closer. He turned his head cautiously to spy Lola Bunny grinning at him.   
  
"Hey there! You're Marvin Martian, aren't you?"   
  
"Correct." He eyed her wearily as though expecting an attack.   
  
"That's good to hear. It's been such a long time. Years even!"   
  
"Can I help with you something?" He asked, thoroughly confused.   
  
"Oh, I'm sorry! I must sound like some sort of nut case or something right now! You see, ever since I moved here, I have been spending all my time with Bugs and Daffy and, you know. All the major stars here. Not a lot when you compare with all the other toons here. Bugs and the others kept saying it was best for me to stick with them, and for a while I did. But then I just woke up one morning and decided that I was going to do my best to get to know everyone else around the neighborhood. I'd spend a day out with each person I found. I did a little research and you were my first choice." Marvin just stared at her dumbstruck, unsure whether to believe the rabbit. This girl couldn't possibly be out to talk to him. Perhaps she was just a part of another one of Daffy's pranks. Lola smiled one more and looked out into the baseball field.  
"Soooo. . .is it true what they say?"   
  
_'Oh boy'__,_ Marvin thought, _'here it comes.'  
_  
"About?"   
  
"You know. . .that you want to destroy the Earth and all?" Marvin quirked an eye. This was unexpected. He had anticipated an inquiry of something more personal. Lola must have been living in a social bubble for the past couple of years not to have heard any of the vicious rumors he knew to be floating around.   
  
"I'm sorry, but you must have me confused with the character I play in the cartoons." Lola blushed slightly.   
  
"Okay, I just wanted to be sure. I mean, you can't exactly tell with everyone what's acting and what isn't." True, she had a point. He supposed it was just an innocent question. She meant no real harm by it.   
  
"Let me put any lingering fears at ease. I doubt I'll be blowing up this planet anytime soon. I have a summerhouse in New York that I still have payments to make on." Lola looked down puzzled for a moment. Marvin's eyes sparked with a mischievous light- the Martian's way of smiling- before they both chuckled at the slight bit of humor. Marvin glanced back at Lola. He was actually enjoying her company.  
"I don't suppose you'd be interested in joining me for some brunch. I've heard of a place that's supposed to serve exceptional coffee."  
  
"Actually, I'm not a big coffee person."   
  
"I see. . ." The Martian's eyes fell in obvious disappointment.   
  
"What I really have a craving for is a nice piece of carrot cake with some carrot juice." Marvin's hopes revived again.   
  
"You mean it?! I mean, of course, if you'd prefer that, then by all means. I've heard good reviews of Joe's Diner."   
  
"That sounds great. Let me just check to see if I have enough."   
  
"Oh. . . no, I'll pay. Please. . .I insist." Lola and Marvin got up to leave when Lola said something that made the Martian's face blanch.   
  
"Hey look! There's Daffy! Maybe he'd like to join us!" Marvin cursed to himself. Fate sure had a way of screwing you at the worst possible moment. The last thing he needed was that malicious mallard ruining his life yet again. He glared over at a bench beside them, where the black duck was filing his feather tipped fingers. Lola waved over at him to grab his attention. He glanced up seemingly bored. His eyes widened in shock when he spotted her company.   
"Hey, Daffy! Come over for a minute. Marvin and I were planning on getting something to eat. Do you want to come?" The duck cautiously approached the pair, examining them and rubbing his eyes as though he expected them to disappear from his sight. Convinced that he wasn't hallucinating, he pulled Lola aside.   
  
"Um, Lola? Now don't take this the wrong way when I say this but. . ._have you lost your mind?!"   
_   
"What on Earth are you talking about?!"   
  
"I'm talking about _you_ hanging out with," Daffy jerked a thumb over in Marvin's direction, "the little Martian menace."   
  
"Marvin? So what? I can spend time with whoever I want." For one of the few times in his life, Daffy pulled a solemn face.   
  
"Listen, we're friends, right. You can trust me. I just want to let you know that I'm here for you if you're in any trouble. _Any_ trouble. He's got something on you, right? Blackmail? Threat? Just say the word and I'll take care of him for you, okay?" Lola smacked the mallard across the face, sending his beak spinning.   
  
"How dare you even suggest something like that! I can't believe you would even think that! We talked, he invited me, and I accepted! This may be a hard concept for you to grasp, but Marvin is a gentleman, unlike_ some_ people. Let's go." She turned swiftly and signaled to the Martian that she was ready to leave. Marvin whistled for K-9 as he watched Daffy leave in resignation.   
  
_'That's right, duck. Just keep walking. This is one time where you've failed to botch up my life.' _   
  
"Didn't think you'd be interested in the little bleeder." The duck muttered irritably.   
  
"What are you babbling about now." Lola asked exasperated. Inwardly, Marvin swore. He had heard too well what that little comment was.   
  
'_Dammit! You never could keep your big beak shut, could you?!'__   
_  
"You mean you don't know?!" Daffy inquired.   
  
"Know what? What are you talking about?!"   
  
"Lola! _Everyone_ knows! You mean you haven't heard of his dirty little secret?" Lola shook her head slowly, apprehensive of what was to follow.   
"Allow me to demonstrate. I hope you're not squeamish." Quick as lightning, Daffy seized the small alien, trapping and pinning him to his chest while Marvin struggle.   
  
"Let me go you freak!" Daffy grappled for a minute before pulling out his metal file, displaying the sharp point at one end. He snatched one of the Martian's wrists and stabbed the piece of metal into the dark flesh of his arm, ignoring the cries of protest and pain from his captive. He dropped the injured Martian into the dirt where he kneeled and cradled his arm. However, it wasn't the vicious act of violence that made Lola's stomach churn. 

Running down Marvin's arm was a crimson flow of blood. And everyone knew toons didn't bleed.

"Y-you're not a toon. Not a_ real_ toon. I mean, you're _real!_ You're a _real_ Martian, aren't you?" Marvin bent his head as though ashamed.  
"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I-I was going to tell you. Honestly! I-I just. . ."   
  
"You just what?! How could you? This changes everything!" Marvin suddenly forgot about feeling sorry for lying to Lola.   
  
"And why's that? How does this make me so different from the person you met ten minutes ago? I'm still the same!"   
  
"Then why'd you hide it?" Marvin didn't have an answer. "I-I have to go," Lola stuttered, showing her obvious uneasiness, "but I think we should really rethink our relationship over." Before he knew it, the two had left him.   
He barely noticed K-9 when he nuzzled his lap. He continued to sit in the dirt staring at his blood soaked arm. The hot scarlet liquid continued to pour down his hand, dying his white glove. He rubbed his bloodstained fingers absentmindedly and he continued to stare at it fascinated. It was mesmerizing in a strange sort of way. The way it just flowed out with each pump of his heart. Like a bright ruby river. Almost. . . peaceful. A shadow appeared and hovered over him.   
  
"Marv? You okay?" Sam asked with genuine concern. The Martian remained silent as Sam inched closer. The mustached cowboy stared down, noticing that the alien made no move to mend his wound. Blood had already begun to pool inside his palm and spill over onto his jeans.   
"Don't that hurt?" 

"Hmm. . .?" Marvin finally started to drift out of his trance. 

"Come on." Sam lifted his friend up, slinging Marvin's good arm over his shoulder to prop him up. "Ya might want ta take care of dat." He sat the two of them down on a bench. Marvin tore off a strip from his t-shirt and wrapped it around to make a makeshift bandage. Satisfied that the space being wasn't going to die on him, Sam spoke up.  
"I. . .uh. . .saw what happened back there." Marvin shut his eyes as though in pain.  
  
"How much?"   
  
"Enough." Sam sighed before continuing. "Look, I know I haven't been around lately. I don't know why I thought everythin' would work out in the end, but from the looks of it, they ain't. The last thing I want to do is be like one of those idgits over there. I guess that. . .well . . .I'm sorry for. . .ya know."   
  
"I apologize, too. I had no right to make any of those accusations."   
  
"Well don't! Believe me, ya had _every _right! You was right 'bout me bein' embarrassed an all. I never did care what people though 'bout me. Don't know why the hell I started ta care now! Well, I ain't about to show those morons they was right 'bout yas. So. . .we're still okay?"   
  
"Of course." Marvin's eyes sparked as he slapped Sam on the back.   
  
"Okay! Okay! Enough of this mushy stuff! Ya stills owes me a breakfast, remember? I'm so hungry I could eat a bull moose!" The three sat up and started off.   
  
"Sam. . . I just wanted to let you know. . .thank you!" The short Martian hugged the startled bandit.  
  
"Now cut dat out! You wanna add _anotter_ rumor to that long list of yours?!" Marvin's eyes flashed with a mischievous light.  
  
"I though you didn't care about what other people thought about you."  
  
"I don't! Just dat I got a date later on an I don't wan her gettin' any ideas 'bout us, K?!" Marvin chuckled as the three of them strolled out of the park.   
  
  
  
  


Come on people! I need some reviews! I'm dying over here! If you're interested in me continuing this story, a little feedback would be nice. Thank you!  



	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: As always, I own no one in this story. . .but I'll let you know if anything changes about that ^__^**  
**

**Chapter 3**

The three figures strolled into the diner as the usual chatter of the building fell hushed to the new occupants. Sam shifted uncomfortably under the hundreds of eyes staring at him. He glanced over to his companion, who seemed not to notice them and ushered him over to a booth. It was a few minutes before the people returned to their idle chitchat, though Sam noticed that almost everyone had turned their volume down to a whisper.  
Sam tried to ignore the crowd as he concentrated on the menu. He wondered briefly if Marvin had to deal with crap like this on a daily basis. "Have you decided on anything?"   
  
"Hmm?" the Martian's question slowly drew Sam out of his thoughts. "Oh. . .uh. . .yeah."   
  
"Excuse me, Miss?" Marvin motioned for a waitress, who rushed past them, ignoring them completely. He tried to signal for another employee, but was snubbed yet again. This went on about three more times before,Sam lost it. 

"HEY! WHAT DOES A FELLER HAVE TA DO TA GET SOME SERVICE 'ROUND HERE?!" He shot out an arm and snagged some unfortunate toon by his collar.

"Me and my buddy here would like ta get some food sometime before we retire, git it?! So make with da orders all ready!"

"Uh, sure. What'll you have?"   
  
"Eggs, with sausages and 'taters."   
  
"Just some coffee for me, thank you. Black." The two watched as the man scampered back into the kitchen. "You certainly have a way with people, Sam." Sam smirked in smug satisfaction as the fellow returned with their orders.   
  
"Ya just have ta let the others know who's boss is all. Trust me on dis one, Marv. Ya gotta take your respect from people these days. Don't let these morons push ya 'round." Marvin merely nodded as he took a sip from his cup. He nearly spit it back out as he choked on the lukewarm liquid. 

"What the. . .?! Excuse me, but this coffee is tepid. Could you perhaps reheat it?"

"Look, if you don't like the food, you can just leave right now."   
  
"I really don't see what the problem is. I'm not asking for a lot."   
  
"Well, maybe we don't feel like serving your kind!"   
  
"'My kind'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Where's Joseph? He knows me very well. He'll tell you that I've been here plenty of times."   
  
"Joe ain't here. He's visitin' some relatives in Miami. Until he gets back, we're in charge. So you can leave quietly or we'll throw you out." Marvin glared at the man for a few minutes before he got up grumbling and prepared to leave. Sam grabbed him by the shoulder to hold him back.   
  
"Hey! Yous can't jus walk outta here like that! You're just gonna let 'em push ya 'round like dat?" 

"My friend makes a valid point. I'm a paying customer just like anyone else in this building. Give me one good reason why I should leave."

"Well, here's one that you may want to consider." The man snapped his fingers, signaling for a muscular, six foot bouncer. Grabbing the pipsqueak Martian in one hand, he effortlessly hurled Marvin out of the diner, across the street onto the opposite sidewalk. His head was still spinning when Sam and K-9 rushed over to him.   
  
"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't think they'd do somethin' like dat. Good thin' ya got dat helmet on."   
  
"Uhhh, I feel like I got hit by a cruiser. I'm heading home." He shakily got to his feet and stumbled a bit before collapsing back on his knees."   
  
"Looks like you could use a hand." Sam offered his body as support as he flung one of Marvin's arms over his shoulder. They managed to stumble a few blocks and up the flight of stairs in that position.   
  
"Excuse me, sir." A scrawny grey Nerdluck piped up, addressing Marvin. He recognized it immediately as one of Swackhammer's lackeys."My leader would like to extend an invitation to you to accompany him at a rendezvous this evening. Should I tell him that you'll meet him at 7:00?" Marvin pushed himself away from Sam, steadying himself against the wall. His dark cheeks were tinged red as he tried to restrain the wave of rage and aggravation he felt wash over him. Would that man never give him any peace?!  
  
"Tell that lunatic . . . that I'd have to have a lobotomy before I'd-" Marvin froze in mid sentence. Beads of sweat ran down his face and he labored to breath. He clutched at his heart in a lame attempt to ease the stabbing pain he felt there. Swackhammer's minion disappeared without a trace.   
  
"Marv? Marvin?! You okay?!" Marvin didn't answer as he struggled into his apartment and scrambled to the bathroom. Sam followed him and watched as his friend sloppily went threw his medicine cabinet, tossing bottles and boxes haphazardly onto the tiled floor. He snatched one bottle and with a shaky hand, ripped the top off and swallowed three or four pills. Sam could only brace him as he waited for the trembling Martian to calm down.  
"Ya better?" he asked once he saw him begin to compose himself. "What da hell was dat all 'bout anyway?!"   
  
"N-Nothing. . .nothing at all. Just need some water. . ." He quickly paced into his kitchen and hastily poured himself a glass.   
  
"Don't give me dat! I seen ya take on all dat crap Daffy and da others give ya like it's nothin'. Some little inch high critter invites ya over, and ya have a flamin' seizure!"   
  
"It's not anything I wish to discuss at the moment." Marvin gave the man across from him a warning glance. "Would you please just drop it?!" Sam knew better than to push the issue.   
  
"Okay, okay. Have it your way. . .fer now." There was an awkward between them for a few minutes before the cowboy decided to break the tension.   
"So. . .I hear dat you're supposed ta be in some new show later dis week." "Yeah. . .I'm supposed to go filming the first episodes later today. I got the script in the mail the yesterday."   
  
"Kinda short notice, doncha think?"   
  
"I suppose so. Either way, K-9 and I still have to be at the studio in two hours. Would you like to come along?"   
  
"Got nothin' better ta do 'til t'night. Guess I'll meet ya there." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good afternoon, Mr. Martian. You're just in time." The human director greeted him with a respect that no toon would ever offer. "Your costume is in your trailer. Be ready in 15 minutes." Marvin knitted his brows in confusion.   
Costume? He opened the door to his trailer and immediately saw what he meant. There on the chair was modern replica of the armor he had on at the moment. No, it wasn't a replica. It was his old uniform. The one he had worn back on Mars and had been confiscated from him when he landed on Earth.  
He remembered when Charles had first suggested that he audition for Warner Bros. The executives were impressed, but felt that his suit made him look a little too menacing for younger viewers. They had taken his old uniform and presented him with the toned down replica he had all these years. He never thought he'd see his original attire again. . .until now. 

"Ten minutes 'till shooting." A stage hand shouted from outside. Marvin examined the armor with exaggerated care. He hesitantly took off his green helmet and put on his Martian one. It still fit after over fifty years. He stripped out of his red jumpsuit and put on the rest of his gladiator outfit. The armor was just as he remembered. Though after half a century, his previous apparel left him feeling a bit self-conscious. Besides his briefs, the only covering was the gladiator skirt and wristbands, leaving his legs and chest bare. It begged the question as to what type of protection the Martian Queen had in mind when she issued out the garbs.  
He strolled out of the room, where his fellow actors waited outside for him.

"A little underdressed aren't you?" Daffy and Porky both snickered when they saw the Martian walk out. Marvin said nothing, as his attention seemed more drawn to the metal band he wore. He fiddled with it for a second before a narrow laser shot out and blasted a nearby food table, sending it burning into smoldering pile of ashes.   
  
"Hmm, still works." He secretly smirked to himself as he spied the toons' gasp of horror. Though they all knew it was impossible to kill a toon, it didn't mean they couldn't feel pain. Though he knew that he'd probably never resort to such measures, sometimes, Marvin found that it helped to remind them of that fact when they got out of line.   
  
"Okay you guys. Enough fooling around!" The director called for them to come onto the stage. Marvin shuffled over, but was unaware for what awaited him. 

It was Mars! Not in the literal sense, but real enough for one who had inhabited it for the majority of his life. He recognized every single building, every room, every street down to the slightest detail. Hell, even his old residence was there! If Mars herself had just picked herself up and settled down onto new the location, it couldn't be any more authentic. 

"W-what is this?!" Marvin stuttered, looking for all his worth like a deer trapped in headlights.   
  
"You like it?! We thought we'd go for a more realistic feel this time. We tried to call you before to give suggestions with the sets, but we couldn't get in touch with you. Luckily, your friend Swackhammer volunteered to help us out with the design." Marvin felt his stomach churn within him and a sharp ache in his heart. Luckily, it wasn't nearly as serious as it was the first time around.  
He braced himself for a moment, trying to remind himself that it wasn't real. Everything there were just props. Extremely high budgeted props fit for a modern science fiction movie, but props nevertheless.  
He shoved the flashbacks out of his mind. The last thing he needed was to remember the hell he went through on and for that planet. He was on Earth now, with a job. One that needed his utmost attention. He took a few deep breaths to relax.   
  
"That bastard sure has a sick sense of humor." He muttered to himself as he racked through his mind to try and remember what he was supposed to do in the script. A slender hand tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw his Queen glaring down at him. "HOLY SHIT!" The Martian tripped over his own feet and collapsed onto the floor.   
  
"Hey, what do you think about these animatronic Martians we got set up?"   
  
"A-animatronic?"   
  
"Yeah. Speilburg sure went all out on these guys! We were lucky that he was willing to take time from his busy schedule to create them. Well, come on. We'll be using this set later on. The director wants everyone in position on the other stage now!" Marvin shakily pushed himself up onto his feet and rubbed his pounding head. This was going to be one long week.   
  
  
  


Well. . .what do you think? Be honest . I hope to have the next chapter up sometime after the _Duck Dodgers_ premier. If you haven't already, find out when it is and watch it then! It's sure to be great!  



	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the LoonyTunes darn it!  


**  
Chapter 4**

The weekend had finally come and gone, and the show was considered to be a hit. He and the others had been burning the midnight oil the entire week, working from 4:00 AM to well past midnight. He was thankful Sam had decided to come with him occasionally these last couple of days, if nothing else to keep him awake and focused. Now that the first season was ready, it would be nice sleep in for a while.   
  
"You gonna stay like dat all day?" Marvin forced one eye open and buried his face into his pillow.   
  
"Don't you ever knock?" He managed through the material. At the moment, he really didn't feel like doing anything for the next month.   
  
"K-9 let me in. 'Sides, I don't gotta anymore, remember?" Oh yeah, he remembered. 

"Tell me something. . .was I drunk when I gave you a copy of my key?" Sam chuckled at the obviously irritated Martian. Even half-conscious, he always had some wise crack to say.

"Come on now, ya know ya don't drink. 'Sides, it's past noon and yer still in bed."   
  
"I appreciate your concern, but I hardly feel the world will end if I spend the remainder of the week confined here." He turned his back, only to had the comforter ripped away from him.   
  
"Come on now. We got things ta do." 

"All right, all right. I'm up. I'll be ready in a bit" The groggy Martian stumbled toward the bathroom and lathered up his cheeks. He finished shaving and cleaned up. 

"Ready yet?" 

"Hold on, will you? I don't know what your habits are, but I have no intention of going out in a pair of boxers." Marvin pulled on a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt from off a chair, put on his trusty helmet before grabbing a cereal bar and following Sam out the door.   
  
"Looks like ya got an admir'r."   
  
"Huh?" Marvin glanced down at the ground where Sam had pointed to. A brightly wrapped package and ribbon laid at his doorstop. "What on Earth. . .?"  
  
"Don't waste your time on that. I wouldn't be surprised it that thing blew up on ya."   
  
"Indeed." He shook it a bit and held it up to the side of his head, listening for any tell-tale ticking. "It's hard to say. Well there's only one way to be sure. K-9!" The green hound marched up to his master and saluted in obedience. "What do you make of this?" The Martian dog sniffed at the package for a few moments. He couldn't detect anything that would signal it to be dangerous. He handed a note to Marvin. 

_All clear!_

"Thank you. That will be all. You're dismissed." K-9 saluted before retreating back into the apartment to continue his breakfast.   
  
"Well. . .open it!" Sam urged his companion on. Marvin tugged at the wrapping. Nothing could have prepared him for what was inside. 

Inside pick tissue paper, was a skimpy, green silk lingerie slip, along with a few other assorted feminine 'delicates'.

"Uhh. . .Marv?" Sam questioned, his eyes quirked in suspicion.   
  
"Don't even say it! I know what you're thinking. . .and it's not!" Sam raised up his palms in defense.   
  
"Hey, hey, I ain't sayin nuthin'. I ain't one t' pry inta other's business." Sam snickered, alerting the Marvin that he was only teasing. "So, guess Daffy 'sided ta get an early start t'day?"   
  
"No, no. . .despite that all evidence would suggest it was his doing, I can tell it wasn't." Clearly confused, Sam pressed for more details. 

"I have been subjugated to that mallard's antics for over half a century. Over time, he has sharpened his skills at humiliation down to a fine art. If this were his doing, he would have made it to be far more mortifying. Having it delivered in a public setting, for instance, rather than in the privacy of my own home. No, this was the work of a real amateur. Though I must admit," Marvin picked up the slip by a finger as though it were contaminated, "I'll give the perpetrator an 'A' for creativity." Now the question was, who would have had the gall to pull such a stunt in the first place. A thin piece of paper caught his attention. He skimmed over the card briefly.

_Thought you might like something nice to give your boyfriend tonight. I think I've learned your tastes. Hope you both enjoy it.   
  
Porky_

"Cute. Real cute. I might have known it was him. He's hung out with Daffy so long, something would have eventually rubbed off on him " The Martian crumpled up the card in one hand. "Though, this is rather ironic when you think about it. after all , he was the one in the dress."

"I say ya give that varmit a piece of-"

"No, I will not lower myself to their level. Come let us leave. Here. Give this to one of your many lady friends. I have no use for it." Sam left the box in the apartment. Hell if he was going to be caught carrying that around.   
  
"Come on. We gotta get ready fer t'night."   
  
"Why? What's happening tonight?"   
  
"Well, dat awards banquet for one thing."   
  
"The what?"   
  
"Ya know. For _Duck Dodgers._ There's a big shindig this evening for it, and everyone's goin."   
  
"Everyone except me. Why haven't I heard of this?"   
  
"Beats me. But ya gotta be invited, right?!"   
  
"Forget it. I'm not attending an event that will undoubtedly end in degradation."   
  
"Oh come on. It can't be dat bad. They gotta have plenty of food there. 'Sides can't ya see dat's just what everyone wants. Ya gotta show up! You _make_ dat show! Anyways, my date's makin' me go ta dat stupid fling. If I gotta show up, you _definitely_ are comin'!"   
  
"There's no way one this planet that I'm going, and that's final." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How the hell did I let you talk me into this thing?"   
  
"Ahh, quit your belly aching already!"   
  
"Easy for you to say. I feel like an idiot in this thing!" Marvin muttered, fidgeted with his bow tie for the ten time.   
  
"Well, it taint my fault you never wore a tux in your life. I got ya what I could find."   
  
"Did it have to be powder blue?!"   
  
"Well, anyways, we're here. Let's just make the most of it." The group piled out of the car and into the reception area. 

"Ya know, it ain't to late for us to come up with somethin' 'appropriate' for those two-bit low-lives."

"I already told you I have no intention of sinking down to their level and taking part in schemes of vengeance." He pushed open the door only to have a bucket of red dye cascade down onto him. The reception hall overflowed with the laughter of every toon in the room.

"Though perhaps I've been far too charitable." He was still sopping, his tuxedo and skin now stained a hideous red-violet. 

"Score two for the little porker. He's on a roll!" Daffy managed between his laughter, and he proudly congratulated his buddy next to him. 

"I've taught you well, my son," the duck said in half mock to Porky. Apparently the both of them knew of the little stunt pulled that afternoon.

"What's the matter?" Marvin address the two, though it was doubtful they heard him. "Couldn't come up with anything original, so you had to resort to stealing plots from old horror movies, is that it?" He turned to Sam, who only nodded in understanding. Tonight was not going to be particularly bearable one. The odds were not in his favor. He excused himself as he prepared to walk home for an exceedingly long shower, though not before letting the air out of some certain toons' car tires.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam had left the gala early. His date had found and left with someone else long before. A few of the human crew members, including the director, were looking for members of the cast in order to congratulate them. Of course Marvin wasn't to be found and nobody dared to rely the little trick pulled earlier to the director. Sam overheard Porky relay his sense of guilt for his part in the stunt, but of course Daffy brushed it off.   
  
"Look, we gotta keep the little menace at arms length. We leave him alone, he'll just start and keep coming to us, causing trouble. You gotta show the little alien you ain't afraid of him, and then he'll back off." Sam didn't wait to hear the rest of the duck's lecture before he decided to split. He drove around in his car for a bit before he headed to Marvin's apartment, to see if he was all right.  
  
Normally, he wouldn't have been so overly concerned over anybody and would have just let the Martian have his space. But then again, he wasn't nearly as chummy with everyone as he was with Marv. Even though he was a bit of a jerk to the new comer when he first arrived (though, he was like that with just about everyone else. It was just his way.), once they bonded, the two had just about done everything together short of slitting their wrists and making a blood bond. Hell, he had even gone out of his way to get tickets to a Dodgers game and school him on the fine art of the Great American Pastime. He'd kick himself in the morning if he didn't check up on the little guy. He couldn't think of a dog that deserved tolerating that kind of trash like tonight. 

He knocked at the door, but there was no answer. Cautiously, he swiped the spare key Marvin gave him and eased the door open. He heard whispering in the next room.

"Did you hear anything?"   
  
"Nah, it was probably your imagination."   
  
"Will you two shut up! Get back to work!" Sam peeked around the corner and his jaw literally dropped to the floor. A bunch of Nerdlucks were scrambling around the apartment, tearing things apart and confiscating various items, from clothes to books to toothbrushes.   
  
"There's gotta be something here the boss can use.""What the hell do ya think you're doin here?!" Sam snarled at the pint size aliens. Startled at the sudden "intruder" they scattered like roaches and scrambled out the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had been walking for hours. K-9 had been invited by some of his friends to a get-together and had left. After all the loyalty K-9 had provided for his commander, Marvin saw no reason to deprive his companion of a social life just because he himself was having ill luck, and he had sent him off with best wishes.

He had gone home to wash up, but the warmth of that night lured him back out into the park, even though he was still tinted a slight maroon from the dye. Despite the lights of the buildings, it was still dark enough to see the stars clearly. He had gazed up at the sky, privately identifying the constellations and making mental notes as to where he had been and what he had seen there. His mind had drifted before his eyes fell onto an orange-colored star. No, it wasn't a star, though extremely bright. Mars hovered just beyond him like a peach-colored beacon, silently pulling at him. He brushed off the creeping sense of nostalgia. He wouldn't go back to that planet if the Queen herself had begged him to return. Too many bad memories. Besides, it was because of her that he was on this wretched planet in the first place.

Though Earth was not as appalling a place as he had originally thought, it was hardly paradise. And he was condemned to stay on the little backwater planet for the rest of his days. He had only lived on Earth for fifty-five Earth years, a blink of time when compared to his age over one thousand Martian years (about over two thousand Earth years). Yet he was still young, still in the prime of his life. Life here was already beginning to take its toll, though it was no doubt he'd be lingering on for quite a while. He sighed and took one last look at his former home as he headed toward his new one.

He was shocked, to say the least, to see Sam inside his home, arranging and putting away various items that were tossed about his apartment.

"What on Earth happened here?! And why are you here? I thought you'd be back at the reception."   
  
"Got bored there. Came here t' see if you was holdin' up alright. And as fer what happened here. . .ya wouldn believe me if I told ya." Marvin didn't feel up like questioning the matter further, and helped clean up the trashed lodgings.   
  
"What's this?" Marvin turned his head toward the item Sam held up. He looked curiously at the metal cube before he realized what it was. Sam must have activated it accidently because it began to display holographic images of old photos.   
  
_A slim and athletic, though older looking Martian with white hair and a stern look about him, posed behind a group of laughing Martian children.   
  
A young and blushing Marvin was being squeezed tight by a young Martian girl with black hair and red highlights   
  
A young red headed Martian woman posed for a wedding picture with a brown-haired Martian   
  
The same couple looked up ahead as the woman held a red haired baby in her arms. The slightly taller man was pulling an obviously startled Marvin into the shot.   
  
Marvin and the fellow play wrestled in the next photo, obviously having a blast as they fought each other, the strange fellow standing just a few inches taller. _   
  
"Who were those guys? Friends of yours?" Marvin just stared at the last image as it faded. He barely took notice of the tears beginning to glaze over his eyes. He snatched the cube and hastily and stuffed it into his closet. In his haste, he tripped over some more stuff that lay on the floor. An old faded paper notebook was among them.   
  
"Here. Let's get this stuff cleared out." Sam started picking things off the floor, including a small green teddy bear.   
  
"B-B-Benjamin. . ." Marvin's voice cracked. That was the last straw. He couldn't take it anymore. Marvin broke down into sobs, burying his face into the soft bear's furry stomach.   
  
"Marv. . .?" Marv shook his head wildly, not bothering to look the man in the eyes. He waved him off, telling him to leave. That he needed to be alone. Sam hesitantly left, leaving the shaken Martian to his horrid flashbacks.   
  


_Flash_

  
_"We'll be gone for just a few days. Do you think Marcia can stay here with you?"   
  
"Of course, but must you leave? You know how dangerous it is out there."   
  
"No more than any other place. Look, Marv, I know you're worried, but you shouldn't be. _I'm****_ the big brother here. Besides, Martha and I need to get off of Earth for a while. We haven't lived here as long as you have. I think we could use the break."   
  
"I still think you're making a mistake, Mark."   
  
"Perhaps, but that's why we're leaving Marcia with you. We know she'll be in good hands with you." Marvin sighed in resignation and made a final surveillance of the surrounding area before signaling that it was okay for him to leave. All the residents were fast asleep. No one would see the couple leaving. Marvin had made it his personal duty to hide Mark's whole family's existence from prying eyes. _

_"Promise to take care of her, okay? You are her favorite uncle after all." Marvin nodded. The two brothers embraced for a moment before Mark and his wife took off without anyone else even knowing that they had existed. That was the last he ever saw of his brother or sister-in-law._

_*** _  
  
_"Where's papa and mama, Uncle Marvin?" A five year old girl emerged from her room, still in purple pajamas and clutching a smiling jade teddy bear.   
  
"Your parents are just going on a little vacation. They should be back soon. . .in the mean time, how about some breakfast?"   
  
"'K!" Marcia scampered over to the table and poured a huge bowl of cereal.   
  
"Let me help you that dear." Marvin chuckled as he noticed the mess and his little niece struggling with the heavy gallon of milk. The two sat down and ate peacefully for a few minutes.   
  
"Here." Marica pushed her bear into Marvin's lap after she finished her cereal.   
  
"What's this for?"   
  
"Benjamin doesn't like to be alone with no grownups. So until mama and papa come back, he's going to need a uncle to look after him."   
  
"But Marcia, he's yours! Y-you've always had him with you, since the day you were born!"   
_   
_"I know. But I think you can take care of him better than me._ Please, _Uncle Marvin?" Marvin look down at the grinning little animal starring unblinkingly back at him with black button eyes.   
_  
_"Okay, I'll keep him with me always. Well, at least until Benji's parents come back. How's that?"   
  
"'K!" Marcia hugged her uncle around the knees. Marvin affectionately patted her on the head.   
  
"Why don't you go change and we'll go take a drive out of the city."   
  
"All right! Can K-9 come, too?!"   
  
"Of course."   
_   
***   
  
_Marvin carried his tired niece into her room. They had both had a busy day. Marvin didn't bother too much to wake her, so he tucked her into bed still in her play clothes. He went into the kitchen and brewed himself some tea when something pounded on the door. The banging increased before a fist smashed though the door. Marvin instinctively reached for the lamp in the living room and eased toward the door open, planning to pummel any intruder that dared to break in. He quickly yanked the door open, letting the outsider fall to the ground.   
  
"You?! What are you doing here?!" Marvin was less than thrilled to see the figure. His name was Jacob and he was a Martian criminal, though not a very good one. Marvin knew him all too well. He had once served along side him in the Martian miliary force, before he had reject it and turned to a life of crime. Marvin had once been given the task of having to play local policeman on the Red Planet when he wasn't assigned any specific mission. As a result he had the displeasure of running into the con man on more than one occasion. Though they had forged a semi love-hate relationship and a mutual respect for each other, Marvin was still suspicious of the two bit thief. The tall raven haired Martian pushed himself off the floor.   
  
"Never mind that! Look, you got to listen to me!"   
  
"What's this all about, Jacob?! I'm not in the mood for any of your games!"   
  
"Believe me, I wish it were a game! Marv, your brother is dead!" Marvin felt his heart stop dead in his chest. There was no possible way it could be true!   
  
"If this is some kind of joke, it's not a very good one!" Marvin managed.   
  
"Why the hell would I fly millions of miles just to fuck with your head?! You know me better than that!"   
  
"So why are you telling me this?! Shouldn't the local officials relay the news of this accident to me?"   
  
"Because I know for a fact that this was no accident. Listen, Marv. I know what goes on back home. Hell, I used to work on the force before I vacated there, remember? I can tell you right now that your bro and his wife were picked off!" _   
  
_"But why would anyone want to target them?!"   
  
"Oh come on now! You know very well why! Same reason you smuggled them onto this rock in the first place! You know how that psycho bitch operates! The Queen wants you Marv! She wants you back and blindly following her like before. She figures that ain't happening until you got nothing left to 'distract' you. Nothing left to show you that life can be better than what she says it is. That's why she's been targeting everyone close to you. It happened with Logan! It happened with your girlfriend! And now it's happened again!"   
  
"So what can I do?!" Marvin was still reeling and was having a hell of a time trying to think clearly.   
  
"You gotta warn everyone you care about. Tell them to leave the galaxy, change their identities. Disavow knowing them if you have to!"   
  
"Why are you helping me?" Marvin asked suddenly. "I've done nothing to warrant your alliance."   
  
"I don't pretend to be buddies with you, Marv. But I also know that no one, not even you, deserves this kind of hell. I've seen it all to often before and it ain't pretty. That kind of stuff can break a man, and I know no one that deserves that. 'Sides, I may be a thief, but I ain't heartless. These are innocents getting nailed, just because they know you. _

_"That she-devil has done more damage to our planet than all the military forces combined! You and about a billion other drones have been brainwashed by her schooling to follow her off a cliff. Trust me, this'll soon spread, if it hasn't already." He stopped for a moment to observe the smaller Martian's reaction._

_"She's the only person in my life now."He began slowly, "And I'm the only person she has left. I'd die first before I give her up."   
  
"Well, you better come up with a decision fast. Mercy is not one of their best virtues."   
  
"I promised I'd take care of her." Marvin seemed to speak more to himself. "How can I just leave her? She's just a child."   
  
"I can't force you to do anything. But here's the way I see it. Would you rather give her away knowing you gave her a second chance at life, or would you rather keep her and risk losing her permanently?" Marvin felt his spirits sink. He silently stole toward Marcia's room and looked on as he saw his young niece sleep. Though he hated the thought of losing her, he knew what he had to do.   
_   
***  
  
_"Wait! Come back! I-I don't understand!" Marcia glanced side to side in a panic as strangers took hold of her. They pulled her toward the forbidding looking building, as her uncle and a stranger looked on.  
"Uncle Marvin! Please don't leave me! Why can't I come with you?!" Those were the last words he ever heard from her as the child was forcibly ushered into the orphanage.  
  
"Now, sir. You claim that this child has no other living relative?" Marvin blinked from under his cap. So far he had not been recognized. At least that was a small comfort, however slight. The whole lot of them would have been in hot water if it were discovered that he had left his place of exile.  
He swallowed the painful lump in his throat. This next part would be far more difficult.   
  
"That is correct. My friend and I found her wandering the streets a few days ago. The planet had no records of her or her family. I assume she must have been dropped off and abandoned a while ago."   
  
"These is very unusual circumstances. Normally, we would need some sort of identification to keep records."   
  
"I know. We have no way of taking her in ourselves, though. Otherwise, I wouldn't be troubling you."   
  
"Tell me, sir. Do you know why she called you-"   
  
"Uncle?" Marvin cut the woman off. "I'm not quite sure. She's young, though. It may have been that I reminded her of someone she once knew. It's difficult to say."   
  
"Very well. I thank you both. Not many people would have gone to the trouble of picking an urchin off the streets. Heaven knows how she managed to survive. You are both very kind-hearted." The woman turned and walked back into the building. Marvin fought to keep himself from racing back in and stealing back his niece. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder.   
  
"You did the right thing. Don't worry. I checked this place out and she'll be fine. She'll have friends, go to school. Maybe even find a nice family to live with." _   
  
_"I suppose. . ." Marvin reached into his pocket and pulled out Benjamin. The tiny bear no longer seemed to be smiling. It just stared back at Marvin, it's sewn mouth seemed pulled into a frown and it's blank eyes glared back accusingly._

_"Then why does it hurt so much? Why do I feel like I just pulled the trigger on her myself?"_

_". . .Maybe. . .because you're developing a soul?" The two were silent for a moment before Jacob continued. "You've changed a lot over the years. You may not think so, but you have. The Marvin I knew years back would have never gone to this much trouble for anything other than business. You were too good a soldier. I remember you following orders to the letter and watching you shoot a teenager off a roof. Now I watch you purposely abandon your orders and put your neck out on the line for a kid. What you're going though now are just feelings any other decent living being would feel. It's understandable."   
  
"I'm still so confused. Is it right to feel that I'd rather have the entire force at my back? That I'd rather put us both in jeopardy than leave her forever? Does that make me such a horrible person as I think it does?"   
  
"Like a said before. . .you're feeling what any other good and decent being would feel. Welcome to the Martian race, Marvin."   
_   
End Flash   
  


Marvin leaned against the wall for a long time. That had been years ago. But it didn't lessen the pain any more. Slowly one by one, everyone he had ever known or cared about was lost. 

Though still a young Martian, he felt like an old man. He was extremely tired. Tired of everything. . .of life. It was not like he had too much to live for. Most of the people he cared about were long dead. From Mars and on Earth.

His dear friend Charles had recently departed. His passing had left a depressing space within his soul that was still in the process of mending. Besides Sam, Charles Jones had been one of his only true confidant. He had stood up for him many times and he had confided to him his deepest secrets, ones he had never told any other person. The man was in many ways a father to him as well as a friend. 

Nearly all of his relatives were dead. He was just a baby when his family was in an unfortunate "incident", as his brother had called it. He had refused to give any details beyond that. He had one family friend before he left had Mars. An older man than he, but very strong spirited and wise. He had the unpleasant experience of seeing him die before his eyes in battle, which he strongly suspected was set up. Then there was his brother and his wife. They had been dear to him. He had seen the love of his life executed for the mere crime of loving him. How painfully ironic that he was merely exiled for that same crime. And Marcia. . .

"I can't take this anymore. . .I just want this all to end." This wasn't the first time he had thought such morbid thoughts. Still, he had been too much of a coward to take his own life. He just needed someone to talk to. Someone. _Anyone._ But he could think of no one who could possibly understand him. Sam had been there for him through those periods of harassment, but he wasn't ready to unveil to him that part of his life just yet, least he inadvertently push away the one man left who had given a damn about him on this world. 

Maybe it was because his mind was still in a fog, he couldn't think straight. Maybe it was because he just didn't care anymore, that his need to tell another being and face his demons had grown too strong for him to handle by himself. Maybe it was because he didn't have to worry about the man changing his opinion about him, since he practically knew everything about him anyway. Whatever the reason, Marvin left his apartment to seek the assistance of the one person he had swore he'd die before seeking him out actively. He felt what was left of his dignity die as the grotesque alien opened the door.

"Swackhammer. . .I-I . . .need your help." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dun dun dun. . .pretty dramatic huh? Okay people, sorry to keep you waiting this long. I had actually had this planned to go out earlier, but then decided on putting it up when Mars was closest to Earth as a celebration piece. Heads up if you want to know more about our favorite Martian's life. I'm planning on a prequel if enough people like this. Please R&R  



	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Swackhammer grinned as he opened the door to spy the pint-sized Martian, practically begging at his feet. This was too good to be true. To see the once proud commander reduced to appealing to one of the galaxy's most notorious criminal for help was a gift from the heavens. 

"Well, well, well. And what may I ask bring you to my humble abode?" Swackhammer took a cigar out and casually lit it.

"I-I just need to talk to you. You asked me more than once to visit, well here I am."   
  
"Well, who am I to deny the request of a fellow thespian in distress? Come on in!" Marvin shuffled into the swank apartment. He nearly tripped over a tiny Nerdluck that scurried in front of him. The disgusting little things were everywhere, like an infestation. Swackhammer gestured Marvin over to a chair right next to him. A half a dozen of Swackhammer's minions catered to the gangster, bringing him various dishes and a rather large bottle of wine. "Drink?"   
  
"No thank you. I don't partake in the consumption of alcohol. It's poison for the mind and body."   
  
"Oh come on. . ." Swackhammer poured two generous servings and gave one to Marvin, despite his protests, "be a man for once. One glass's not going to kill you, despite what your mom may have told you." Marvin glared at the man for a moment before accepting the offered glass with a sigh.  
"Now," Swackhammer took a sip from his glass, "tell me, what is it exactly that brings you to me?""Well," Marvin took a tentative sip from his own glass for courage. He winced a bit from the strength, but it wasn't half bad. Very sweet. 

"I-I just can't take it anymore! I hate this planet! I hate my life! Everything that has ever had meaning to me is gone!" Marvin downed the rest of his drink.

"What about your little cowboy buddy?" Marvin took another gulp, not even bothering to guess how his glass got refilled.   
  
"It's true. . .Sam has been there for me for a long time. But I never told him about my life before, on Mars."   
  
"So why do you have to tell him?"   
  
"But what if I slip up? The way I've been acting lately. . .he's bound to start asking what's wrong. He'll leave me if he thinks I don't trust him enough to tell the truth. And if I do tell him the truth. . ." Marvin let the sentence trail off as he polished off another glass. He lost count to how many drinks he had. His vision blinked on and off and he was starting to loss his focus.   
  
"Well, it's bound to happen sooner or later. He's an Earth punk. They're all the same."   
  
"You really think so?"   
  
"Trust me on this one. I've been here many times before you decided to settle here. The honest ones just make it known straight out you're not welcome. The dishonest ones will hang around until they can get something out of it for themselves, or for as long as they can stand it."   
  
"I-I can't believe it. Sam would never-"   
  
"You kidding me?! You said yourself that he'd drop you faster than a piece of hot plutonium if you ever told him." The former High Commander seemed to shrink under the cruel revelation. Without asking, he snatched the wine bottle and took a deep swig from the neck. Somehow the sweet liquid seemed to dull the sharp edges of painful reality.  
Noticing the Martian's fallen spirits and apparent intoxication, Swackhammer decided it was time to move in for the kill.  
"Look, I know this must be hard for you."  
  
"How can you possibly know what I feel? You're not the boss of me!" The Martian's mind wasn't concentrated anymore, and his words were slurred together. Swackhammer mentally laughed at the fact that he could be so stone drunk in such a short amount of time. 

"Because I've been there. I once knew a native who I thought was my friend." What little reasoning Marvin had left was instantly piqued. Now he had his attention.  
"The guy was engaged in bootlegging back in the '20s. I needed to get away from the authorities-you should know a lot about that- and decided to hide out here. We met. Course he was freaked out at first , but we soon figured that we could help each other out. So we worked together in the racketeering business. For years! We had laughs and were together for a such a long time. We were like brothers. Through thick and thin. Till he made his first few million and decided that I was no longer needed. Hell, I might be rotting at the bottom of some bay right now if I hadn't left when I did. Earthlings have a way of sneaky way of conducting their business, you see." A sound that resembled something of a groan was all Marvin had the strength to utter.  
"I'll never forget him. I'm sure you won't forget about Sam either, even when he's not here for you. Look, I know we've had our differences, but the way I figure it, we're both stuck in a situation we'd rather not be in. And we're not gonna get outta it anytime soon. We're more alike than you'd think. Might as well make the most of it." That clinched it. 

"Oh God. . .I think I'm going to be sick. . .!" Marvin leaned over his armrest and buried his face into the larger alien's coat.   
  
"Uhh. . . .yeah. . .okay. . ." The man was clearly unprepared for the smaller man's unbridled display. "Okay that's enough now. . .come on, we have an audience for God's sake!" Swackhammer shoved the short Martian away from him, who slumped onto the floor, limp. 

"Jeez, anything stronger and he'd be dead. Get him outta here." The alien flicked away the ashes of his cigar as he watched his henchmen drag the unconscious form out of the room. Everything was working out according to plan It would only be a matter of time before it all came together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning. . .   
  
He slowly dragged himself up the miles of stairs. Last night was a night he would be remembering for a while. It had been a blast! Charlie, Hector, even Chester. They were all there. It was always nice when the gang could get together. Still, he wished Marvin could have joined them. 

It wasn't that the others had anything against him, such was the noble mind of canines. But he doubted his commander would have enjoyed chasing cats, rummaging through garbage or howling at the moon. Perhaps, he could join them all in a drive one of these days. His master needed to get out more, even if it was only with him and his doggy pals. He just hoped the Martian wasn't still dispirited after that idiotic trick back at the award show. 

Honestly, he could never understand the mind set of Earthlings. Those two jerks were exceedingly lucky that they had walked out without their seats being ripped off, as he was sorely tempted to do.

He placed his paw on the scan his commander had set up recently for him. Access was granted and the door unlocked. He quietly stepped into the dimly lit apartment. He recognized the rather sweaty leathery scent of Yosemite Sam and the clean scent of his master. Not too unusual. Another unusual scent suddenly assaulted his senses. The nauseating slimy smell of Nerdlucks! He felt a growl built up in his throat. What were those things doing crawling around their home? Nothing good that was for sure. He should alert Marvin of this at once. 

He bounded about the house barking at the top of his lungs. Strange, the commander wasn't home. Perhaps he had stepped out. He was sure to get a lecture about staying out so late once his master returned.. Well there was nothing he could do until he returned. He would just have to wait. He stepped outside the apartment and laid down just outside the door to wait. He was just about to settle down for a nap when his sensitive nose picked up a familiar scent. His whole head perked up. He'd recognize that smell anywhere. It was his commander!

The scent was about half a day old. He pressed his snout to the ground and followed the trail to a door down the hall. He felt the fur on his neck bristle up. The scent led right to Swackhammer's door! Alarm bells went off in his head. He wasn't sure what was happening, but his animal instincts assured him that there was nothing natural about the situation. He whimpered frantically, his paws stomping on the floor in nervous panic. He had to get help!

Barking at the top of his lungs, K-9 bounded down the stairs and out the building door into the busy street. Cars screeched to a halt to avoid the distraught pup. He ignored them all as shoved his snout to the ground, searching for the smell of sun-tanned leather and cologne. His ears perked as his nose picked it up and he raced toward the source.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thunderous snoring reverberated throughout a log cabin. A short red-head lay stretched out on a rusty brass bed and overstuffed mattress. In a flash of fur and sneakers, a green figure crashed through a window across and landed heavily on the bed.   
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sam was met nose to muzzle with the frantic Martian dog. "You?! What in the Sam Hill are ya doin in my house?!" K-9 whimpered as the fiery-tempered cowboy glared at him. The hound had no idea how to explain that his master what probably been abducted by the most villainous piece of scum in the galaxy. Man, how he wished he hadn't run out of stationery the night before! He tugged on the man's beard with his teeth, whining in desperation.   
"Get offa me ya varmit! Marv! If this is your idea of a joke, it ain't a very- say where is the little bug-boy anyway?" K-9 rolled his eyes. It was clear that the Earthling was never going to figure it out with a lot of outside help. He's just have to show him what happened and hope he'd figure it out. Going behind Sam, he bit the back collar of the man's filthy undershirt and leapt off the bed. He ran off out of the cabin and dashed through the town, all the way ignoring the indignant scream and curses of his passenger.   
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Okay, I am very, very, very sorry about not updating for so long. I've been applying to colleges and taking midterms all this time. Even though all that unpleasantness is out of the way, I may not be able to update as often as I like. Writer's block really bites!

Chapter 6   


He blinked awake, his vision blurred and nausea building up in the pit of his stomach. His head was pounding as though something were trying to violently escape from the inside of his skull. As his eyes began to focus, his brain slowly began to process that there was something hanging upside-down in front of him, staring at him with oversized eyes.

"Hey boss! He's awake!" The slimy creature hopped down from the Martian's helmet onto the floor and scampered out the door. A few minutes later, the doors slid open to reveal the silhouette of an extremely smug Swackhammer standing in the doorway. Marvin instinctively clenched his eyes shut in pain as blinding light flooded the dim room.   
  
"Mornin', Sunshine." The massive alien took a long drag from his cigar. He waddled over toward the Martian shackled on the opposite wall. Marvin strained against his restraints as a sudden rush of anger pulsed through him. Luckily for Swackhammer, his bonds held him fast.   
  
"You have a lot of nerve!" Marvin managed raspily, still struggling against the laser ropes.   
  
"I'd save my strength if I were you. You won't be getting out of there anytime soon."   
  
"What do you want with me?"   
  
"Me? Nothing really. But a certain lady friend of yours has had her eye on you for a while. And has offered a nice prize for your return." The Martian, still reeling a bit from his hangover, took a while to process this information before his eyes dilated in realization.   
  
"Oh no. . ." He muttered in horror. "B-but why?" he stuttered more to himself than his captor "She's the one who made me leave the first place!"   
  
"Hell if I know. But I'm sure she'll be more than thrilled to answer all your questions when we get there." The smaller alien glared at the man in front of him, unsure whether he should be sick or furious. Anger eventually won.   
  
"When I get out of here, Swackhammer, I swear I won't rest until I-"   
  
"Save your speeches. You've made similar threats before and you've yet to follow up on any of them. So why don't ya just relax and enjoy the ride?" Before he could retort, Swackhammer was out the door. 

Marvin growled to himself as he once more tested the strength of his bonds. It was no use. The laser ropes were specifically designed to be virtually unbreakable. He should know as he had used them himself numerous times. Perhaps if he had had the time and leisure, he could have eventually figured a way out. Perhaps knock out his captor and turn the ship around back to Earth. His mind eventually drifted from fantasies of escape to wondering what his immediate future held.  
In all his years, he never would have suspected that his Queen would go to such lengths to bring back her top officer. Sure, he had had some lingering worries about confronting her again, but he had always chocked that up more to irrational paranoia than to any valid fears.  
His memory wandered back to the day when he was forced to leave Mars for good. He was shocked she hadn't executed him on the spot for his actions. He knew of many who had lost their lives for less. She always did have a temper. So why after all these years did she seem to be willing to overlook his crimes and bring him back? Did she really want him back to serve her as he did years ago. Were his skills that indispensable? Perhaps she just couldn't live with the though of him being alive anymore and was planning to finish him off. The latter was more probable, and, Marvin realized, a far more preferable for him. He'd shoot himself before he allowed her to use him again as her personal killing agent.   
Judging by the engine sounds, the ship was about ready to make its decent. He wouldn't need to question what his fate would be once he returned to his native soil. He would know soon enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I can't believe this. When I get my hands on that freak, he's gonna wish I had killed him!" Sam growled to himself as he finished reading K-9's explanation. Leave that Martian alone for two minutes and he ends up abducted. When he found that bastard, he was going to regret laying a single greasy paw on his friend. His temper was abated slightly when he felt K-9 pawing at him in concern.  
"You got any ideas, boy? Cause I sure don't. Not like we can just fly off after them." K-9 looked downcast for a moment before an idea crossed his canine mind. It could work, if the individual he was thinking about was willing to help, though he seriously doubted that he would. The man never did care for the Martians. The hound bit his lip nervously, considering their options. Sam noticed the dog's distress.  
"I can tell your thinking 'bout somthin'. Whatever it is, We better git movin, less ya want to bring back your master in a box." K-9's stance strengthened and he nodded for Sam to follow him. The two walked up the stairway to the top floor before stopping at a door at the end of the hallway. Behind it, they could hear the faint murmuring of someone shuffling frantically inside. Sam hesitated for a moment before he started banging on the door.

"If it's about the rent, I sent a check out last week." an irritated nasal voice emitted from within.   
  
"Open up! We needs ta talk with ya!"   
  
"What do you-" the door was yanked open, revealing a short purple alien with stringy blond hair. His eyes, the only facial feature, narrowed in suspicion before he sneered in disgust. "Oh, it's you!" He looked at K-9, not bothering to disguise his revulsion.   
  
"You two know each other?"   
  
"Unfortunately."   


"Look, I don't what you got against him, but could it wait? We kinda need your help."

"I do not associate with Martians. . .or their mutts.   
  
"But this is a emergency!"   
  
"I suppose you're talking about that Martian getting dragged off last night. I couldn't care less what happens to that arrogant hit man you've befriended. Personally, I hope that Swackhammer fellow lynches him!"   
  
"Listen here you little prick!" Sam slammed the unsuspecting creature against a wall while K-9 snarled at the offending alien. "I don't know what the hell's your problem, and I don't much care either! Now you can gripe all ya want, it won't make much different, 'cause, whether ya like it or not, you are gonna help us out!" The purple man, still in the bandit's grip, narrowed his eyes challengingly.   
  
"And if I refuse?"   
  
"Then I suppose K-9's gonna have himself a very colorful breakfast this morning."   
  
"You're bluffing! You wouldn't dare kill me! Since you're practically begging the assistance of a virtual stranger, you obviously need me for something beyond your realm of capabilities. Most likely pertaining to space navigation or technology, am I right? If that's the case, you need me alive for your little mission. Who else on this world has the expertises that you need?   
  
"Well, considering that you ain't plannin' on helping us anyway, I don't see much of a difference, do you? 'Course, seeing your sorry hide being torn apart like a boiled jack-rabbit'll sure make me feel a whole lot better 'bout this whole thing. So what's it gonna be?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is this supposed to be, some sorta joke?!" Sam stared up at the vessel incredulously. The three of them were in the old Warner Bros. storage warehouse, where their guide had just shown them how they were going to leave Earth. "You actually plan to fly this?"

"Well what did you expect? There's not another ship within 50 miles of this hick town!" "It's a prop!"   
  
"It is not a prop! This just so happens to be one of the finest ships in this part of the galaxy!"  
  
"Maybe fifty years ago! I remember Daffy pretending to fly this bucket in one of his cartoons."   
  
"They let that filthy Earth creature on my ship?!" The smaller man boarded the rocket, grumbling to himself about having to sanitize his vessel later. He at the controls as Sam and K-9 came up behind him. In a few minutes the ship hummed to life and rocketed though the ceiling of the hanger and out of Earth's atmosphere.   
  
"So how long ya reckon it'll take to find, Marv?"   
  
"Well that depends. Where exactly are we heading?" Sam's face faulted.   
  
"Um. . .I'm not sure. Don't this thing have some sorta tracking device or somethin'?" Sam stepped back a step as a livid face swung around from the driver's seat. The fellow seemed to have turned an even deeper shade of purple as he seethed at the Earthling.   
  
"You mean to tell me that you don't even have a clue as to where he is or heading? Did you expect me to just chauffeur you around the galaxy with just the dim hope that we may stumble over him?! That's it! I'm turning this ship around and heading back to my planet, even if I have to drag you with me! There's no way I'm wasting the rest of my natural existence on this sham of a quest!"   
  
"You can't do that!"   
  
"Just watch me!" The two were suddenly interrupted as a piercing scream resounding from the back of the ship.   
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Setting the ship on autopilot, the three voyagers dashed to where the horrified shriek emitted from, only to come face to face with an extremely agitated Daffy Duck. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope that makes up for the months of neglect. If not, I'll be setting amongst blazing hot coals in penance as I contemplate the next chapter.   
  
I'm sure those who've seen Marvin's old cartoons will recognize the "prop" they're flying. Marvin plushie toys to those who guess correctly who the newbie alien is! His identity will be revealed later on.  



	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Key: **_{speaking}_**__ = someone speaking Martian (as opposed to English)   
  
"_You?!_ What are _you_ doing here?!" Sam gaped at Daffy, unsure whether he should give into the shock or unadulterated fury at seeing his friend's number one antagonist on the ship.   
  
"I just came in to check for some inventory to use for the second season for- Waitaminute! What do mean 'what am _I _doing here'? What are_ you _doing here?! What's going on here anyway!"   
  
"None of your damn business!" The red head snarled. As far as he was concerned, the mallard was a pain in the ass, whose presence would only complicate their mission more than it needed to be.   
  
"If you must know," a second voice interjected, as the short alien introduced himself into the conversation , "we have just taken off from your planet and are now embarking on a pointless rescue mission for what will most likely be an indeterminable amount of time. So I suggest you get comfortable, since all your friends' great-grandchildren will probably be issuing out euthanasia appointments for your generation by the time we return."   
  
"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" Daffy momentarily forgot his outrage as he scrutinized the strange being that had emerged from the cockpit. "You weren't at the company picnic last spring were you?"   
  
"Doubtful. I had only arrived on location toward the end of August. I needed a clever ruse to get inside your studio and back to my ship, so I accepted a guest appearance on that inane show of yours."   
  
"Oh yeah, now I remember. You're that Melville character"   
  
"Ya know this freak?!" Sam quirked his eyes in suspicion and curiosity at the Duck.   
  
"Know him? I worked with him! He played a bit character on one of the Dodgers episodes. Was supposed to be like a shorter, nerdier version of that Martian, if that were possible."   
  
"It's Melvin. And don't you ever insult me again by comparing me with a Martian, duck! As far as I'm concerned, I'm only going after that idiot out of charity, and the moronic deal I made with your colleague in order to get my ship back!"   
  
"Hey, you can execute or marry that Martian for all I care! Just turn this bucket around and set me down before you go off first!"   
  
"As I explained earlier to your friend, that is not going to be an option. Since there seems to be no indication as to a plan of action, I've decided as of now that the best option would be to search the Martian's home planet. If after 48 hours, we find no trace, I'll be taking my ship back to my home planet. You'll be on your own to get back home."   
  
"Now wait justa dangum minute!" Sam pushed his way passed Daffy toward the violet outlander. "Don't we get a say in this?"   
  
"Uh, you guys?" Daffy tried to gain Sam's and Melvin's attention.   
  
"You heard what I said, Earthling!" Melvin directed toward Sam, studiously ignoring the duck's pleadings.   
  
"You guys?"   
  
"How the hell ya expect us ta search an planet in two days?"   
  
"Figure it out! I never wanted to be a part of any of this. If you hadn't threatened me with that bloodthirsty mongrel, I assure you-"   
  
"YOU GUYS?!"   
  
"WHAT?!" The bickering couple whirled simultaneously on the mallard.   
  
"Who's driving the ship?" Sam and Melvin stared at the duck, then at each other, before screaming simultaneously in horror. They rushed back to the front just in time to witness the ship smash headlong into a green space cruiser. The passengers watched as a tall Martian swung open the door and jetted over to their vehicle on a rocket pack. His green uniform and shades were covering his eyes gave him the appearance of some sort of space age traffic cop. 

The Martian officer banged fiercely on the window the space ship, signaling with his other hand for them to exit.

"Smooth move! Now what do we do?" Daffy wailed as the alien cop seemed likely to break through the glass any minute.   
  
"We're leaving! The last thing we need is to get involved with- hey where did go?" Melvin's question was soon answered as there was a resounding metallic pounding as the towering Martian kicked through the door behind them. The alien surveyed the cockpit and its occupants closely before whipping out a deadly-looking laser gun.   
  
"Look ou- Sam's warning was cut off as the gun was shot.

* * *

Marvin just glared ahead as he was dragged upside-down by his ankles by Swackhammer. He had long ago quit trying escape, as he had learned the hard way that it would only result in additional humiliation. 

He had attempted to escape several times, each time the combined efforts of his lingering hangover and an electrified collar managed to make him relatively easy to catch. Apparently Swackhammer had gotten exasperated with having to chase after him over and over and had decided that laser ropes and leashes weren't adequate enough to keep the Martian in line. Marvin didn't even what to speculate how he would be received by the Queen. It was mortifying enough that he had walked blindly into Swackhammer's little trap without having to being bound, gagged and carried around like a dead animal trophy.

**_{HALT!}_** It took a while for Marvin to realize they were the voices of several Martian guards. That would make sense. After all, Swackhammer couldn't possibly be stupid enough to believe that he could just stroll into the Martian Palace unnoticed or unchallenged. Especially not with his record. 

One of the guards whipped out a handheld communicator and shouted for back up. Within seconds, they were surrounded by half a dozen Martian centurions, each holding electrified spears pointed menacingly at their heads.

"Hey watch it with those things, will ya?" Apparently Swackhammer, hadn't figured on being met with such fierce opposition.

**_{Well, well, well. Look who's decided to drag his carcass into the palace! And here I thought Swackhammer was supposed to be a criminal mastermind! What happened? Hanging out all this time with those multicolored roaches of yours finally eroded your brain?}_** Swackhammer said nothing for a few seconds. Probably trying to mentally translate what was just said to him, Marvin figured. The Martian language was rather difficult to master if you weren't a native speaker, and very few people bothered to learn it anyway. He didn't know. Actually he was finding it hard to concentrate with all the blood rushing to his head. 

One of the centurions apparently noticed his presence, as he quickly let his head officer know.

**_{Sir, he's got a hostage!}_**   
  
**_{Dear Ares, he's killed it!}_**__ Another guard cried in barely disguised horror. The steel tips of the spears began to glow and hum, threatening to roast Swackhammer into a smoldering pile of ashes if he so much as twitched wrong. Marvin continued to hang limply in his captive's grasp. Perhaps if he just remained motionless, the guards would believe him truly dead and disintegrate the swine into oblivion. 

Apparently, Swackhammer had managed to figure out roughly what the other Martians was said, as he tentatively tried to communicate in their language.

"Uh. . .**_{No, no. . . no dea-d. Lo-ook.}_**" Marvin and the rest of the Martians glanced at Swackhammer and each other as though the gangster was the simplest creature to grace the planet. He had no idea just how utterly moronic he had made himself to be with his thick accent and infantile structure. 

To prove his words true, Swackhammer yanked away Marvin's gag and flipped his captive upright. Marvin jerked back sharply as an suddenly oversized fist dragged him by his shirt collar and upward off the ground.

"Do something quick, or we'll both end up dead!" Swackhammer hissed into his ear. Marvin rolled his eyes and addressed the leader.   
**_  
{Put down your weapons. . .for now. I just need to have a few private words.}_**__   
  
_**{The hell we will! This bastard is a menace on every planet under the sun! You are a Martian, and as a loyal subject of Mars, you must realize that a single life does not weigh heavily against the greater good. He's coming with us, even if it means slaughtering one of our own in the process!}**_   
  
**_{I fully agree with you, and I assure you, he will be yours momentarily, however. . .you must be patient. As much as we'd both love to see this greaseball thrown to a pack of starving Cytopses, he _will_ be required to go to an interplanetary trial.}_**   
  
**_{I'm quite aware of that! What does that have to do with-}_**   
  
**_{ Just so you know, Swackhammer has a way of doing away with people who know too much about him, and I doubt you'll be able to scrape up a witness willing to put his or her neck out on the line to testify against him.}_**   
  
**_{So what are you suggesting?}_**   
  
**_{ Try to bum rush him, and you'll most likely have to explain the existence of two of more corpses to an irritated tribunal. While the immediate outcome may sound tempting, you could just as easily join us with the gods. Merely give me a few minutes with him. He'll be yours soon enough, plus I can offer you a list of felonies long enough to entice the judges to bring back cruel and unusual punishments. You'll have your man and in most likelihood a handsome promotion along with it. Just wait for the right moment.} _**__The captain seemed to consider the proposal for a moment, then motioned for the guards to lower there weapons, just enough so that they could quickly take action if needed.**__**   
  
**_{You have five minutes!} _**__Swackhammer stared, confused and stunned as he saw the Martians lower their guard.**__**   
  
**__**"What did you say to them?" **__**

"I merely bought us a few minutes. Now what is it that you want?" Marvin glanced up apathetically.

"Alright you little twerp, here's the thing." He threatened fiercely bringing Marvin up to eye level and jabbing a thick finger into the Martian's ribs. "You are going to call off your little Martian dogs and I promise I won't break your skinny neck." 

Marvin couldn't help but smirk. Swackhammer was usually so calm and well-organized about everything he did. Now he was nervous, sweating. . .tentative. The presence of the guards must have really thrown him off, and now his mind was racing to try and figure a way out. Only problem was that he could only see one tool at his disposable- one that he had made a huge mistake in by threatening. Marvin was relishing how the tables had suddenly turned. He leaned in so only Swackhammer could hear, and answered in a rather smug tone.

"Had it even occurred to you that I might not care if you choose to snap me in two? I mean really! I was practically suicidal when I came crawling to you, and your little stunt didn't exactly do anything to convince me of the sanctity of life." From the hideous shade of purple the alien was turning, Marvin figured his words must have struck a chord.  
"You must be slipping in your old age." Marvin continued as though he were discussing nothing more than the weather. "Did you really think that you could strut through the palace unnoticed and then threaten _me_ in order to get through? Honestly, I am rather disappointed in you. After all your theatrics back on Earth to lure me here, your perfect little plan comes to a screeching halt. Dashed to pieces through your own incompetence." Marvin was still grinning even when he began to feel fat fingers squeeze painfully around his throat. There was no way he was stopping now.  
"I suppose I could speak to the guards for you, seeing as you failed miserably to communicate with them. . .but you have no way of knowing what it is I say to them." The Martian managed to choke out. His voice dropped to a dangerously intimidating whisper as he leaned in closer to Swackhammer, their faces so close, Marvin had to force down his first wave of disgust as he breathed in the stench of tobacco.  
"I could go on and on about all the little escapades you did during your days. I could describe in excruciating detail how you orchestrated vast black markets to sell addictive and often fatal narcotics under the guise of medication to unsuspecting customers. Or how your flock of cronies went from planet to planet, luring naive little children away from their parents only to have them raised and trained as borderline slaves for your perverted clients."   
  
"You wouldn't- you have no proof!"   
  
"Please, as if anybody would believe a word that slithers out of _your_ mouth? It's your word against mine, and God the things I could tell them! I don't need a vivid imagination to paint them a graphic picture of what your line of work entails. My first-hand experiences alone would be enough to send you swinging from the gallows!"   
  
"Why you little-" Swackhammer never got a chance to finish his threat as Marvin slipped out of the iron fist and sent a swift straight-up kick hard onto his jaw, sending the mammoth alien stumbling. Marvin hit the polished floor and the guards took it as their cue to apprehend Swackhammer. Marvin tried not to cringe at the screams echoing through the halls as hundreds of volts of electricity were undoubtedly surging through Swackhammer. It took at least four men to drag the unconscious body out toward the detaining cells. A few Martians remained behind along with their captain.   
  
**_{He'll live. . .for now, but he should be out for a while._** **_Anything else you should be telling us?}_**__ The taller Martian addressed Marvin.   
  
**_{Well, we did come in with a handful of Nerdlucks, but they must have bolted at the first sign of trouble. They'll probably head back to the ship, about a league or so north from here.}_**__ Marvin continued as he pushed himself up off the floor. **_{I wouldn't dismiss them idly, if I were you. They have a nasty habit of ruining things if you give them half the chance.}_**__   
  
**_{Don't worry. They're as good as dead.}_**__ The leader snapped his fingers and signaled for three more guards to give chase. **_{However, they are not the only ones that I have suspicions for.}_**__ Before he knew it, the Martian snatched Marvin and slammed him back to the ground. Marvin struggled to move and breath as the centurion used his weight to pin him to the floor.   
**_{Quit squirming and tell me what I want to know!}_**__ The cold metallic muzzle of a laser gun was shoved just under Marvin's chin, threatening to go off at any moment.   
  
**_{Get off of me! I don't know what the hell you're talking about!}_**__ Marvin snarled, his temper starting to show.   
  
**_{Don't play innocent with me! I'm not stupid!}_**__   
  
**_{Really? Could have fooled me.}_**__ His composure was quickly giving way to indignant fury.   
  
**_{I'd watch my mouth if I were you. Just answer the questions! First off! Where did you get this?}_**__ The captain motioned toward Marvin's brush helmet.   
  
**_{An Internet auction.}_**__ Marvin soon regretted his snappish retort as his face was smashed into the steel floor. His head was yanked back severely, causing his neck to crane painfully.   
  
{**_Shut up with the wisecracks! I've been observing you! Only a member of Mars' former elite forces would be caught wearing relic_**. **_Not to mention your little strategic maneuver back there. A basic distract-and-ambush deploy. Taught in the third level military academy for freshmen lieutenants. Remember that lesson myself from months back.}_**__   
  
**_{You must be very proud of yourself. So that's it? I'm being assaulted because I'm strategic and am wearing an old hat? By all means lock me up! I'm sure if you work hard at it, you might be able to get me executed for wearing a blue turtleneck out of season!}_**__ Once again his mouth went off before Marvin could stop himself and once again he got a violent response. He recognized the scent and taste of blood as it dripped down into his eyes and mouth. He really should learn to shut up before he ended up with a concussion.   
  
**_{That little stunt you pulled back there! Pretty advanced fighting technique for a civilian! No street punk would have been able to pick those moves up. You've been trained! You're a damned soldier! And since you're too young to be retired, you must have left or been kicked out! So my questions are as follows: What's your story? Who the hell are you, and why was that poor excuse for filth so interested in you?}_**__ This time Marvin managed to check himself before he earned himself another beating. Unfortunately his stubborn silence seemed only to provoke the bigger man. Once more he was pulled roughly to his feet, the gun still buried into the back of his neck.**_  
{You want to be stubborn? Fine! Let's see how Her Majesty decides to deal with your attitude.}_**__ Considering that there were soon five more towering Martians pointing their weapons at his head, Marvin knew there would be no point in fighting as he was shoved ahead and led into the throne room. He quickly glanced around and saw no one at first. A robot centurion was sent off to fetch the Queen and in a few minutes a side door slid open, revealing the tall, voluptuous Martian Queen. She eyed her captive for a moment before finally speaking.   
  
**_{It's nice to see you again, Commander.}

* * *

_**__ Okay people I know I've stood you up. . . again. Thing is, I had this whole thing planned out. But at the last moment I decided that I wanted to go in a different direction with this story, so I scrapped a lot of my previous work. Not only that, but my computer was disabled for at least a month. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**_{It's good to see you again Commander}_**__ The Martian Queen commented nonchalantly as if greeting an old friend.   
  
**_{The pleasure is all yours I'm sure.}_**__ Marvin muttered under his breath, earning him a swift smack in the back of the head from the lead guard 

**_{God! Do you always react so violently or is it just for a select few!}_**__ The smaller Martian rubbed the back of his head irritably.

**_{Enough! Guards, you are dismissed. I have much to discuss with our guest.}_** The centurions hesitated for a moment, probably unsure whether it was safe to leave their Queen alone with Marvin. It took a stern glare from her to convince them that, prudent or not, her word was final, and they marched out, leaving only a pair of robot centurions to guard. Only when their footsteps had faded away did she turn back to face him. 

**_{I must admit, I am a bit shocked to see you here. . .but it's still a pleasant surprise to an otherwise rather dismal morning. Cute outfit, by the way. Been adopting Earth fashion statements lately? Suits you far better than those hideous skirts.}_**__

**_{Oh please! Enough of the pleasantries. What is it that you want?!}_**__   
  
**_{You know you're bleeding?}_**__ She seemed to be noticing for the first time.   
  
**_{My brain isn't leaking out, so I'll think I'll live.}_**__   
  
**_{You're awfully cold these days. Not that I blame you. I suppose I do owe you a bit of an explanation. But not here. Meet me in my chambers in an hour. }_**   
  
**_{If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer that we settle this now.}_**   
  
**_{You can wait here if you wish . . .but you'll achieve nothing. If you wish to find out anything, you will meet me at the appointed time. And I wouldn't attempt to escape if I were you either. I will be alerting all personnel to be keeping an eye out for you. You won't be able to blink without my knowing of it, so I suggest you make this ordeal easier on yourself and comply. I'm sure M-3 and M-4 will be able to show you to your quarters.} _**The Queen stood up to leave, and Marvin as well took off in the opposite direction accompanied by the centurion robots. He had hardly stepped out the main doorway when****she****called out to him once more.**__****_{ Oh and one more thing. Please wash up beforehand if you decide to come. You look like you just crawled out from a bar fight and smell like you've been dunked in a barrel of mead.} _**The doors behind him slammed shut. The robot hovered beside him motioning for him to follow. The Martian just snarled to himself as he stalked through the halls, his mind wandering to what it would be like to strangle the life out of that bitch once they were alone together.**__**

* * *

**__**

****The first thing he was aware of when he came to was of the killer migraine that was beating on the front of his skull.   
  
"Oooo whata night." Sam grumbled as he struggled to sit up. Sit up? Wait a minute! That would mean that. . ."We're alive?"   
  
"Of course you're alive, idiot! Not even Martians are that moronic as to slaughter Earthlings. That gun was merely a stunner." Sam whirled around to find Melvin sitting cross legged, his back against the wall. Sam felt a wave of disgust wash over him. He had almost forgotten about _him_.   
  
"Well they came pretty damn close in my opinion! My God!" Daffy made himself known from the shadows, rubbing his head.   
  
"So. .uh. . .where are we an how come we ain't dead?" Sam turned to Melvin.   
  
"Martian detention cell, most likely. And the reason we aren't lying on a pile with the rest of the corpses is because you two neanderthals are protected."   
  
"Protected?"   
  
"Yes. Interstellar Environmental Sanctuary Act if my memory serves me right. Some Rights for Primitive Worlds group became concerned when some people started abducting Earthlings for whatever reasons. Long story short, the act was passed so anyone who is even caught out-of-bounds in the company of you creatures will have reason to worry about his own neck. This little stunt alone will probably land me a permanent dwelling here. Of course you two will carted back home, any memory of anything that happened after last week will most likely be erased." Sam paled significantly at the last sentence.   
  
"But we can't leave now. Not without Marv! We gotta tell these guys that!"   
  
"Good luck! Martians don't speak any language besides their own."   
  
"Well, how 'bout _you_? Can't ya talk to them?"   
  
"I suppose I could try. It's been a while since I've spoken that archaic language, but I guess I have no choice if I want to exit this planet with my neck intact." Melvin stood up just as three Martian officers entered detention center. Like the other officer before, they were all in the same green tailored uniform. The shorter alien noticed that none of them wore brushed helmets or those ridiculous skirts, which meant that they probably weren't connected with the royal guard.   
  
**_{Guards! I must talk with you immediately!}_**__ Melvin was a bit impressed with himself that he still remembered the language with such accuracy. One of the Martians quirked an eye, apparently surprised that a foreigner could speak in their native tongue.   
  
**_{So, you can speak.}_**   
  
**_{That's right.}_**__ Melvin bit back his urge to snap back with a retort. This wasn't the time nor the place to be aggravating his captors.   
  
**_{Good. It'll make my job a whole lot easier.}_**__ One of the officers unlocked the door and strolled into the cell.**_{We need to ask you a few questions. Cooperate and I'll promise not to make this _too_ painful for you.}_** **_  
  
{Hey, wait a minute!} _**__One of the guards outside the door called out to his leader.**_ {Before you go, ask him about the Earthlings.}_**   
  
**_{What about them?} _**__The other Martian demanded impatiently**_._**   
  
**_{If you can't get anything out that guy, I might still be able to question his captives.}_**   
  
**_{So go ask them!} _**  
  
**_{Are you mental or something?! Those Earthlings got about 70-something different languages! What do you want me to do?! Question them in each vernacular and hope I stumble across the right one? I'll need to know whereabouts they originated from, as well, so the committee will be able to send them back.} _**__The taller Martian stepped into the cell, his hand dipping into his pants pocket to whip out a handheld holograph****__projector. He flipped open the lid and flipped through several images of planets until he came to the one picturing Earth.**__**   
  
**_{Alright, you heard the man. Out with it!} _**The head officer barked toward Melvin.**__**   
  
**_{If you would just point out approximately the area from which you found these two.} _**__Melvin studied the holograph for a few minutes before pointing toward a section of the North American continent he figured California to be. The Martian typed something into the projector**_, _**which displayed some sort of reading in Martian.**__**   
  
**_{Okay, fifth continent, western seaboard, area 83? Hmm, there are several dialects, though there are two major ones. Hmm. . . Español and English? Well, that pretty much narrows it down.}_**   
  
**_{Are you done? Good. As for you,} _**__the commanding officer turned his attention back toward his captive,**_ {you'll be coming along with us.} _**__The purple being was abruptly seized by the scruff of his shirt and practically tossed toward the third guard, who had remained outside the entire time. 

**_{Take him to the interrogation room. I have a feeling, he knows far more than he's letting on.} _**__The two stalked out with Melvin in tow, leaving Sam and Daffy alone with their new warden.

* * *

Sam didn't dare make a move when he eyes the three Martian guards moving toward their cell. Melvin had started yapping in what Sam assumed to be Martian with one of the guards. One of them appeared to have an explosive temper comparable to his own, especially seeing how he manhandled that Melvin character. One of the others, a tall drink of water, had wanted some kind of info out of the alien. Now he was standing right in front of them, once the others had gone.   
  
"Do you think he'll kill us now or wait till he gets home?" Daffy muttered humorlessly out of the side of his beak. Sam just continued to stare at the Martian, who looked as though he were about to slip into some kind of meditation or something at the moment.   
  
"Eh. . .er . . .¡Buonas tardes! Apesadumbrado de incomodarle tenga gusto de esto, pero necesitaré hacerle algunas preguntas acerca de acontecimientos recientes. ¿Usted habla español, no usted?" Sam blinked. From the sounds of it, the Martian was speaking Spanish!   
  
"Great. Where's Speedy when ya need 'im?!" The Martian stopped at Daffy's words, and cocked his head in a puzzled expression, before his eyes widened into what appeared to be comprehension.**__**   
  
**__**"Oh, you. . .uh speak that English one?" The Martian managed a bit awkwardly. "My apologies. It is a bit difficult to remember all these languages after such a long while."   
  
"Uh. . .sure. . .no problem." Sam was a bit unsure how to take this in.   
  
"Look, I know this has probably been very. . .rough on both of you, but we have reason to believe that there is some sort of conspiracy going on. One that you may have some information on." 

"Look, we don't know nothing about nobody. So if you'll just let us go now." God, not even five minutes and already Daffy was trying to weasel himself out.**__**

****"I think you do know. More than you're willing to admit. I know for a fact that K-9 was accompanying you three when you were taken in, am I right?" Sam just then noticed that the green dog was absent from their cell.   
  
"Waitasecond! How da ya know 'bout K-9?"   
  
"Martian centurion hounds are pretty hard to come by, even on Mars. Yet two Earthlings and a Nammian are in possession of one? Doesn't add up. We did a license and paw scan and matched him with his owner, one Marvin Martian. I heard the name mentioned in passing from some of the guys, and I figured I aught to take a personal investigation on this case. The other fellows are doing a background check on him, but I don't need any files to know that Marvin isn't supposed to be within 500 million miles of here."   
  
"You know Marv?!"   
  
"Damn straight, I do. Go way back the two of us. Anyways, a while before you showed up, we had received word that Swackhammer had been spotted near the palace with a Martian hostage. Swackhammer was taken into custody but the Queen's keeping the Martian because of 'certain suspicions' as they said in the report. Then you four pop up. I take K-9 in and he tells me that you too are going after them. And all this just happens to occur when. . ."   
  
"When what?"   
  
"It's hard to explain. Hell, I'm not too sure I'm allowed to let you in on this. . .Let's just say that there's a bit of a crisis on hand at the moment and these events, well. . .too connected to be coincidence."   
  
"So what do you want from us?"   
  
"Not sure yet. Your little buddy is probably going to be in questioning for a while. I may be able to convince my superiors that you have nothing to do with any of this other than unwilling abductee. Doubt anyone will believe otherwise anyway." At this point the guards voice was at a bear whisper. 

"You two just keep this in mind. This whole scenario goes farther than you know.****If you want yourselves and your friend to make it back home intact, you'll ask few questions and do exactly as I tell you."

* * *

__In about fifteen minutes the centurion droids would be returning to await his answer as to whether or not he would accept the Queen's invitation. As if he had a choice. Well, it was not like he had any pressing engagements back on Earth anyway. Besides, part of him was actually a bit curious to hear what his former Queen had to say. 

Marvin lay curled up on the bed under the thin sheets provided, staring upward at the rust-colored ceiling, his arms crossed in front of him in a lame attempt to keep warm. Decades of living in Earth's temperate climate had made him vulnerable to Mars's frigid temperatures. Had he been a human not made to endure such harsh conditions, he would have dropped dead the second he set foot on the planet.

He sat up from the mattress and rubbed the crick in his neck. The open window let in a chilling breeze from outside, though he tolerated it briefly in order to indulged in the old familiar scent of rusted metal and sand. He looked out the window out at the scarlet sky, watching the two moons beginning to rise on the horizon.

**_{The Queen is ready to see you now.}_**__ The robotic sound of the centurion lured Marvin's attention away from the scenery.**_{This way}_** Marvin followed the droid as it hovered through the halls of the palace, finally making their way to the tower where the Queen's quarters were. When they entered, she was already waiting for him, seated in a ornately decorated chair. She waited for the centurion to leave and motioned for Marvin to take a seat in the chair opposite her.   
  
**_{Sorry if the accommodations seem a bit unorthodox, but I needed to make sure that no one could hear what I'm_**__ **_about to tell you.}_**__   
  
**_{Is that a fact?}_**__ Marvin replied, not believing the excuse for a second.   
  
**_{Care for some refreshment?}_**__ The Martian ruler continued, ignoring the remark and pulling out a flask. She poured out a glass of sukere juice and handed it to him. Marvin stared at the blue sugar drink for a while, not daring to touch it. This was an all too familiar scenario to him and he'd be damned if he'd repeat it again. 

**_{Aren't you going to have any?}_**__

**_{No. The last time I accepted a drink from somebody I knew I shouldn't have, I ended up here!}_**__   
  
**_{Oh please, it isn't poisonous.}_**   
  
**_{Then_** **you _drink it!}_**   
  
**_{Fine.} _**She took a second glass, poured herself a generous portion and took a sip.**_ {Hmmm. . .I don't _feel_ like I'm suffering a slow and agonizing death, but I'm sure you could probably think of a logical explanation for that.}_** The Queen replied with dripping sarcasm. The two eyed each other for a considerable time, evaluating each other. Eventually, courtesy and custom drilled into him from childhood, propelled him to be polite and accept what his queen offered him.  
God, he'd forgotten how disgustingly sweet the stuff was. It was like drinking syrup. When he swallowed, he dropped his glass in horror. He may not have had the stuff since he was a boy, but he still remembered enough of it to know that it wasn't supposed to have such a salty aftertaste.   
  
**_{What did you do?!}_**__ Marvin was dangerously close to forgetting his upbringing and murder his queen in her room.   
  
**_{It's just a simple truth serum. I need some critical information out of you and frankly I don't trust_**__ **_your sense of integrity unaided.}_**__   
  
**_{And I'm just suppose to believe this?!}_**   
  
**_{You saw me take it as well, and I'm still sitting here before you.}_**   
  
**_{For all I know you could have just taken an antidote beforehand.}_**   
  
**_{If you still don't believe me, test me for yourself. Go ahead ask me something! Think of the most embarrassing question you can think of. Something I would only answer truthfully if I had a mind altering drug coursing through me.}_**__ Marvin smirked to himself. There was one thing he had always wanted to know about the woman and also knew to be a rather sensitive topic for her. He was already planning to exploit his new found power by hitting his queen where it hurt   
  
**_{Alright. . .What's your name?} _**The woman in front of him blinked several times, unbelieving that he would waste his question on such an inquiry.   
  
**_{_That's_ your question?!}_**   
  
**_{Well, I have yet to meet anyone on Mars or any other planet that possess that fact. I figure it must be something dreadful if you're going to such lengths to keep it a secret.} _**He was met with a glare so fierce it should have been capable to causing physical pain. The Queen bent her head and mumbled something under her breath.**__**   
  
**_{Mrshmalw.}_**   
  
**_{Excuse me?}_**   
  
**_{I said it's _****_Ma'r Sh'ama L'aow, okay?}_**

****

**_{That's it? Hmm, that's funny.}_**

**_{No need to rub it in! Even my parents thought it was hilarious when they gave it to me.}_**   
  
**_{Didn't mean it like that. You name, it means 'soft and white'. It also sounds strikingly similar to 'marshmallow', a spongy white confection from Earth. It's funny, that's all.}_**   
  
**_{Well, as long as we're sharing personal information, how about telling me-} _**Marvin cut her off.**__**   
  
**_{Just one more.}_** He was beginning to enjoy this.**_ {I'm sure you're probably wondering about why I would ask such a mundane question when there are so many ways to utterly humiliate you.}_**

****

**_{The thought had crossed my mind.}_**

**_{Well, if that's how you feel, then why don't you tell me what you feel is the most embarrassing thing about yourself.}_**   
  
**_{Damn you! You're sick, you know that?!}_**   
  
**_{You're stalling.}_**   
  
**_{OKAY! YES! FINE! I admit it! I'm still a virgin. By the goddesses! Are you satisfied?!}_**   
  
**_{For the time being.}_**   
  
**_{I'll get my revenge on you later. Right now, we have more important things to discuss.} _**The queen settled back into her seat and took a deep breath in preparation for what she was about to say next.**_  
{Do you remember why you were exiled?}_**__ Oh yeah he remembered. It was during Nailah's execution. He had been forced to watch helplessly as centurion guards shot her in cold blood for the mere offense of having an unsanctioned romantic relationship with a fellow officer, namely himself.  
The atrocity had set him off. There had been some 'unpleasantness' as he had reduced it to being called, and he wasn't fond of looking back on it.   
  
**_{Yes I do, though I see no reason why you're bringing _that_ up!}_**   
  
**_{Have you ever wondered why she was sentenced to death but you remained alive though you committed the same, plus a far more worse, offense?}_**__ Marvin was silent for a moment. He hadn't really thought about that aspect. 

**_{No. . .I guess haven't,}_**__ he responded automatically, the serum forcing to voice whatever he was thinking.

**_{No, I wouldn't expect you to. I suppose you haven't given much thought as to why I would deem death to be considered an acceptable consequence for courting an officer either?}_**__ Once again, he was taken aback at his own obliviousness and assumption.**_  
{You don't have to answer that. You know, the mind is a mysterious thing. It can take facts and events, process them and store them, but the emotional side of the brain can skew facts over time to such a degree that we can contain memories completely opposite to what really happened and believe them to be true. The more powerful the emotion, the more powerful the alteration. I wouldn't be surprised if all your memories of me and that woman are so slanted so that she is but an innocent angel whose only flaw was falling for you, while I remain a sadistic harpy who has nothing better to do with her life but spread misery throughout the galaxy.}_**__ By the gods and goddesses, it was as though she were reading his mind! He couldn't remember one time when his Queen had acted like a normal being. Even worse was that his view of Nailah was so rose-colored it couldn't possibly be true.  
He wanted to prove the ruler wrong, to find something so show how he saw Nailah as a fallible Martian being with limitations, but he could find nothing. He couldn't remember a single flaw about her. No snoring or clumsiness, no tendency to gossip or be too shy. Not once was she ever obnoxious or irritable. He couldn't even remember a time when they disagreed or fought! It was unreal! He tried to forced himself to remain silent and not confirm the woman's suspicions, his head robotically nodded. Stupid potion!  
**_{I suspected as much. I will continue to explain everything in more detail, but first I need you to drink some more of this serum.}_**__   
  
**_{Why?} _**__At this point he was asking only out of mere curiosity.   
  
**_{One dose is just enough so that you are forced to voice what you're thinking and what you know. Not very useful if what you think you know is flawed. The stronger dose will delve into your unconscious and pry out information stored away that you aren't even aware of. By doing that, it will undo the damage done to memories, leaving only the actual facts of any event without any emotional gloss attached. Trust me, it sounds rather ludicrous, but it will be necessary for you to understand our currant situation. And just so you don't feel unaccompanied-}_**__ She proceeded to drink two more glassfuls. **_  
{It's a good thing this stuff's not poisonous isn't it? Your turn}_**__ Marvin looked at the flask. He supposed he could refuse or pretend to drink it. However this entire encounter had left him craving answers, answers he never realized he needed. There was something going on that he wasn't aware of, he was sure. He just need to know now. He grabbed the flask and poured himself another two glasses. Immediately he regretted it as he began to relive his previous migraine. However, it soon dissipated and he waited for the queen to continue._**  
{I need you to think back and remember the time during which you served in the forces. I'm quite aware that performed a few atrocities under my rule. Who ordered you to go on those particular missions?}**_His first impulse was to point out her, but even in that fraction of a second, he knew it wasn't true. Even as she spoke, the serum was working in overdrive, bombarding him with memories that he instinctively knew to be true. Most of his memories of his Queen faded leaving him with only a vague impression of her, neither harsh nor generally compassionate. Just. . . _there._  
Nailah was another story. He remembered her nasty temper and her sarcastic wit. How she dealt out her own versions of 'tough love' by shoving him into dangerous situations when he was needed. He remembered when they first met: she, a most respected general of one of Mars most elite fighting forces, and him, a teenage recruit promoted from the lower ranks and a hundred years old her junior (why on Earth had he previously thought of them as being the same age? Ares, he_ was_ losing it!) He looked back on is career by her side. With a few exceptions, almost every mission he went on, he went on instruction from Nailah. **_  
  
{Nailah was the general at the time. I was under her command. If she gave me an order, I had to do what needed to be done.}_**__ he spoke more to himself as some sort of lame attempt to justify what had happened. It was the truth, but only partly, and he was sure the Queen suspected as much.   
  
**_{So you obeyed her every command because it was your duty as a commanding officer?}_**   
  
**_{I followed her because . . .I wanted to.} _**__If the queen was unsatisfied with his answer, she said nothing about it and moved on.   
  
_**{**_**____****I** had begun to suspect that a plot was afoot when one of my more dependable spies reported to me that my general had begun paying particular attention to one of her recruits. He told me that you were sent on a number of assignments, very few that I was aware of or approved of. Various assassinations, executions, etc. I was told also that there were rumors of a rebellion in the works. One of my sources suggested that you and my general were involved in it.}__   
  
**_{I swear to you that I knew of no such thing happening!}_**__   
  
**_{If this is true this only exhibits how far she was able to manipulate one such as yourself. I had been observing you very early in your career. You were quite skilled for your age. Enough to make it into the most elite force on Mars, one where few males and even fewer children manage to get into. I suspect we both knew of your potential but unfortunately, she got to you first.}_**__ She leaned in closer meeting Marvin eye to eye.**_  
{She was merely training you as her personal lackey. You followed her like a blind puppy, obeying her every whim, not out of any loyalty to Mars or your duty, but out of trust in her. Had she told you to cut out your lungs, you'd probably would have done so. You remained loyal to me because she told you to, and you could have just as easily turned against me had she willed it so. I supposed when the time was right she would have twisted your loyalties around so much so that you would have been right by her side as she and her little band of rebels attempted to overtake the throne.}_**__ Marvin hadn't felt so sick since just last night when Swackhammer had suggested to him that Sam was untrustworthy. Could it be that all this time, he had pined over the woman he loved, and through it all she was merely using him as a tool for her own ends. Even if the Queen had a quart of that truth potion coursing through her, he wouldn't believe her!   
  
**_{What about Nam?} _**  
  
**_{Excuse me?}_**__   
  
**_{Nam. I remember it was _you_ who ordered the assassination of the king. Not Nailah. What's your explanation for that?!}_**__ He glared at his queen fiercely. Out of all his crimes, that one still managed to trouble him the most. The woman leaned back into her chair, closed her eyes and sighed.   
  
**_{Even with the reports coming in, I was still unsure of how much of a hold she had on you. I needed to test you. So I had decided to send you on a mission that I thought you would never have the guts to go through with. I naively believed that no one, not even her, could convince you to follow through such an act of butchery. It was only when I later heard the reports of the assassination that I realized my mistake and knew what actions I needed to take. I needed to get her alone for questioning, but she caught on to my plan and made sure she had an armed escort with her at all times. While I could have easily had her arrested, it would have caused a scandal to have her, as renown as she was, detained with little or no basis_**__ **_for it. It would have caused an uproar and might have gained her sympathy for her cause. So we managed to pin her on violating military policy through you two's relationship. For appearances sake, we took you in, too and staged an execution.}_**__ The last sentence snapped Marvin to attention. **_{What do you mean 'staged'?!}_**__   
  
**_{She's not dead, Commander. She was merely stunned and later moved to a cell where we could interrogate her. We were planning on using you as a witness to spread the assumption that she was dead, that is until that little escapade of yours. Of course we couldn't let you off unpunished after that. Would have aroused questions. Which is why I reluctantly had you sent to Earth until everything was resolved.}_**__   
  
**_{So why am I here now? Swackhammer abducted me on your order.}_**__   
  
**_{He misunderstood. It was a far older report, and wherever he was when he heard that story, he got it years later. Most of the details were probably omitted by then, and he must have accidently assumed it was you I wanted. I had sent a warrant out for another Martian, Nailah. She had escaped from captivity.}_**__   
  
**_{Escaped?!}_**__   
  
**_{Jacob, my spy, told me of her plan to reform her rebellion with you at her disposal. She has been searching for you and is planning on retrieving you as we speak.}_**__

* * *

Oooooo talk about a twist! Sorry boys and girls, but Queennie isn't evil after all. Or is she? And what's going to happen to Sam and the others? Who knows? I do, but I'm not telling. . .yet.

Okay for those of you who read/understand Spanish, you get a cookie because I cannot speak it for my life (I am a shame to my heritage). For those of you who can't understand it either, I feel better now. Since I suck at languages (I have **_no_**__ idea how I managed to get through three years of it in highschool), I used dictionary.com's handy-dandy translator for the language inept. I typed in what I wanted in English and they gave me a **_rough_**__ translation. I wanted a realistic feel to this fic. Okay here's what I **_assume_** to be the English translation: ___  
  
__Good afternoon! Sorry to inconvenience you like this, but I will need to ask you a few questions about recent events. You do speak Spanish, don't you?_   
  
Pretty nifty, right? Now if I could only get it to translate into Martian and Namekian, I'd be a really happy camper! 

P.S.: Piece of useless trivia for you! Sukere is a play on the word "sukere", which is Old French for "sugar", and which is the source for the English word "sucrose". Compliments of MSN Encarta dictionary. Don't ya love these sites!


	9. Chapter 9

**All the usual disclaimers. I own no one except the people I made up. The rest belong to Warner Bros. The Sarlaac is the property of George Lucas.**

**Due to some of the new formats on , Martian language will just be inscribed in regular quotations (it will still look basically the same)  
**

**Chapter 9**

Marvin stared ahead blankly, unsure of what to think. In less than an hour everything he had ever thought true had been shattered. He wished that everything was just a hallucination, some horrible fantasy that his brain must have thrown together as a result of too much alcohol. That in the morning everything would be as it was and he would wake up with nothing else but a pounding hangover.

**_"I know this is probably a lot to soak in," _**the Queen spoke after a while, trying to show an appearance of concern,**_ "but if you think about it, it's better if you found out the truth now rather than wait for Nailah to show up on your doorstep. This is a dark time for Mars. Considering what you know now, I must ask you: Would you consider returning to Mars and your old position to help the empire eradicate what's left of this threat?"_**

**_"What?_**" Marvin suddenly snapped to attention.

**_"Our forces will need all the help we can muster. Your sentence of exile would be lifted and you would be able to return to Mars permanently in exchange for your service."_**

**_"You're saying I would be able to leave Earth. . . forever?" _**

_**"That is what I just said, yes. Of course, if you still retain any attachments to that mudball you've been calling a home for the past few decades, it's perfectly understandable."** _Mentally, Marvin, was going over his options.

A fresh start. A new life. As far as he was concerned, he had nothing he'd truly miss back on Earth. Except, of course, for Sam.

His job with Warner Bros. was a minor concern. They'd never be able to hold him to his contract. Martians supposedly didn't exist after all, so they had nothing over his head, unless they wanted to look like idiots by suing a cartoon character. Of course, he had made it clear at one point earlier that year that if they ever tried to pull such a stunt, he'd rat them out to the authorities and let them deal with the natural interrogation as to why they were harboring an alien life form behind the back of the government. He actually entertained the idea of quitting, if only to see Daffy's undoubtedly stricken expression at the notice that his series would have to be cancelled consequently.

However, truth be told, he had nothing he truly longed for back here on Mars either. No family or friends, at least not anyone he remembered or wished to make contact with. He wasn't sure if he could return to his former post as a commander. Fifty Earth years of unending guilt and graphic nightmares had thoroughly eradicated his taste for such service. Still, the possibility of never having to put up with his prejudiced colleagues was a tempting one.

_**"Perhaps you wish to think this over?"** _Marvin took this as a cue to leave. He stood up and briskly strode out of the room. He spent the next few hours wandering the hallways, not paying too much attention to his surroundings.

**_"Where are they?"_**

**_"You know I can't let you in. The Queen is holding a private meeting at the moment."_**

**_"I have to talk to her. He doesn't know that she's here. Does the Queen know?"_**

**_"Know what? What the hell are you talking about?!"_**

**_ "I can't say."_**

**_"Then I guess you aren't getting in!"_**

**_ "You can't do this to me!"_**

**_"Watch me!"_**

**_"Fine, see if I care! I'll find her myself!"_**

Marvin leaned casually against the wall listening to the exchange. He had recognized one of the voices as the pain-in-the-ass spy Jacob. After all these years, he didn't seemed to have changed an iota as he was trying to force his way past the guard to get to the Queen. Honestly, he couldn't understand the man's arrogance sometimes. That one guard could easily snap him in two if irritated enough.

He brushed the thought aside. No, he was far more intrigued by what the Martian had meant in his reference. He wondered who was here and what the Queen did or did not know. Perhaps he might be able to acquire more information. Sure he was probably being nothing more than a eavesdropping sneak nosing into things that were none of his business, but right now, he would settle for having something to kill time with.

* * *

Swackhammer kicked one of his nerdlucks to the opposite wall, snarling as he glared out the bars of his cell. Damn these Martians to Hell! If he ever got out of here, he'd systematically go to every dwelling and slit every single one of their skinny throats. Except for that little bastard. No, he'd save him and sell him to some shady brothel like he should have done decades ago. 

He spat on the metallic floor. He needed to think. . .and fast. Knowing the little bloodthirsty bugs they were, they probably wouldn't hesitate to do away with him as soon as possible. Outside his cell, two heavily armed guards were glaring at him intensely. They hadn't let their eyes off of him since their shift began. They had conversed with each other for a while. Swackhammer didn't need to know Martian to know they were talking about him and how they were looking forward to his execution.

**_"Do you think he knows what's in store for him?"_**

**_"Of course. You _have_ to know what's at the end for his line of work. You don't sell kids as slaves to pedophiles and expect to get off with slap on the wrist and a fine. If it were up to me, I'd have everyone who he wronged sign a list to get a chance to slice a piece of him off. Of course the Queen will probably just have him fed to something. Wish there were such things as Sarlaacs."_**

**_"What the hell's a Sarlaac?"_**

**_"My brothers like to collect foreign films. They got a hold onto a few movies from Earth. Pretty imaginative considering they never got past their own moon. Well, it took us five years to get it translated, but we managed. Anyway, in one of the films, some slug was going to feed these humans to this hole or something, the Sarlac, where they would be melted or digested for a thousand years."_**

**_"A thousand years?! That's sick! Would serve the greasy bastard right, though. Though I'd feel bad for the Sarlaac. Imagining having to chew on that glob all that time. I know I'd get sick."_** The two snickered as they returned their sight onto their captive.

**_"I still don't see why we can't shoot him right now. No sane person would consider letting him live."_**

**_"You know the laws. Interplanetary criminals need to be tried before the international tribunal. I suppose the planet with the highest bid will win the pleasure of doing away with him."_**

**_"I thought they stopped doing that stuff a millennium ago. Some civil rights encroachment."_**

**_"Yeah, but they're making an exception for him! Just as well. The people of Mars are screaming for his blood. I don't think anyone would mind paying a few more taxes to get a piece of him._ _I know I'd hand over my paycheck."_**

**_"Ares, you really hate him, doncha!"_**

**_"Of course! Lost my sister to this licebag and his bootlickers! How would you feel if you found out that the medication to treat her chills turned out to be some foreign drug designed to make her sick the minute she stopped taking them. She was addicted and was suffering withdrawal! She was just fucking four! And those poor excuses for beings smuggled that into a school. They were all sick! Every last kid. And we all bought into his so called cure. Shooting's too good for him!"_**

**_"Sorry, didn't know about that. You think anyone would mind if you took some justice of your own."_**

**_"Would anyone care? Doubtful. I suppose I could leave enough of him alive."_** Swackhammer quirked an eye as the two guards whirled their attention back on him. Judging from the satisfied looks on them, nothing good was going to come soon, especially when they left their post and meandered over to his cell.

Without warning, an explosion rang out threw the cell, blowing apart the door and much of the surrounding walls. A putrid blue smoke filled the air and Swackhammer clutched at his fat throat as it began to close.

Just as he felt that he would never again be able to draw a breath, a mask was shoved over his nose and mouth. Instantly, he felt his muscles begin to relax and his air-deprived lungs filled. He tried to peer through the fog but it was still thick. He felt a thin hand snatch at his free wrist and pull him through the rubble. As the dust and mist cleared, he could clearly see his supposed rescuer.

He was a bit on the short side, though not too much. That was all he could tell since the man was wearing a loose cloak and mask.

Swackhammer glanced back to the holding room. The two guards and his nerdlucks laid on the floor unmoving, their eyes staring unseeing ahead. It sunk in to his mind just how close he came to his own demise.

"Not that I don't appreciate you busting me out of there, but what the hell's going on?! Who are you?" The figure whirled around and stared at him menacingly though his mask.

_"If you're going to insist on opening your trap, at least speak a language I can understand."_

Interstellar communal basic. He hadn't heard that language in the longest time. And judging by the voice, the speaker was obviously female.

_"Okay fine, again, who the hell are you?!" _The woman removed her mask.

_"Depends," _the Martian spoke softly," _if you cooperate, I'm your benefactor and your new superior. If you decide to be cute and try to cross me, I am the one who will be gutting you like an overstuffed fish." _Swackhammer glared at the cocky little girl in front of him. Who did this little brat think she was, threatening him and ordering him around?!

_"I advise you not to underestimate me, Swackhammer. Remember the last time we crossed paths and I took apart your little gladiator. Rest assured I haven't changed much since then, save for sharpening my own skills. Just keep that in mind." _Swackhammer racked his brain to before it finally clicked as to who he was dealing.

_"No way! There's no way! You're dead!"_

_

* * *

_  
**_"You might as well come out, Marv. I know you're there." _**The smaller Martian stepped out of the ill lit hall where he had been standing. 

**_"How long?"_**

_**"About three minutes ago."** _Jacob replied rather smugly. **_How long have you been tailing me?"_**

**_ "Since your little tantrum with the guard."_**

**_"That long?! Damn, I'm losing my touch. Must be getting old."_**

_**"Yeah right, that must be it."** _Marvin answered in an obvious sarcastic tone._**"You do realize that if you don't reveal to me what you were referring to back there, I'm going to beat it out of you?"** _Marvin commented jokingly.

**_"You think you're still able to, old man?"_**

**_"You feel like testing your theory?"_**

_**"Haven't changed a bit, have you?**" _Jacob chuckled at their banter.

**_"More than you think. Wish I could say the same about you."_**

**_"I happen to like sticking with one personality. Makes things less complicated."_**

**_"And you're certainly not complicated. But we're digressing, don't think I haven't noticed."_**

**_ "Damn," _**The spy snapped his fingers_,**"guess I'll have to implement plan B."**_

_** "Knock it off, Jacob! I'm not in the mood."** _The taller Martian dropped his jovial facade.

**_"Look, as much I'd love to tell you, I cannot say. At least not yet. It's too soon."_**

**_ "You can tell me about plots within the government , confidential intelligence information, but you can't tell me this? What's so important that _you_, of all people, are reluctant to gab about? Found out the date of the Apocalypse?"_**

**_"I have to speak to the Queen. That's none of your business considering you're not even a citizen of this planet,"_** the spy snapped. He needed something to throw the determined Martian off his little hunt

_**"You're so sure about that? As it turns out, her Majesty has offered me a proposition of regaining my citizenship and lifting my sentence.**" _Marvin replied rather calmly.

**_"What?!"_**

**_"Yes, not only that, but she also offered me back my former position as commander."_**

_**"That can't be right! You're bluffing!**" _This was certainly unexpected.

**_"Think what you will, it's true. One little syllable uttered from me will be enough to make me your commanding superior once more, since last time I checked, spies were still considered under elite officials. In other words, if I have to, I could just order you to fess up."_**

_**"And why would you take up her offer?"** _Jacob suddenly stepped threateningly close to the shorter Martian.**_"Last time I checked you hated her and this planet. Don't tell me you've had a sudden change of heart." _**There was no way Marvin would even consider coming back unless there was something in it for him.Or he was working for someone else. . .

**_"The Queen and I had an interesting conversation in which many things were revealed, especially about Nailah. Oh by the way, thanks for telling me about her, too!" _**Marvin snarled the last part out of his resentment about being left in the dark about so many things. Jacob took a step back, obviously unsettled by the normally calm Martian's sudden fearsome temper.

**_"Well, it doesn't matter. You don't have that power yet. I'm under no obligation to tell you anything." _**

**_"Well, why don't we go to the Queen right now? You're dying to gain an audience with her. She's expecting me to come back with a reply. You can tell us both there." _**Damn the little bastard always had a way of getting what he wanted. He was cornered with no way to turn.

**_"Fine. Have it your way_.**" His voice was unnaturally cool as the two proceeded back to the Queen's chamber. **_"I supposed you'd have to find out sooner or later._**" Jacob muttered his breath, a trace of sorry regret in his voice.

* * *

Okay, I know I've been in suspended animation for the last few months. It's been tough, since I lost this chapter and had to start over. I had been writing this, plus a number of other Marvin fic ideas that sprang into my head over the period (whether they'll make it to the outside world is up to fate). Well, I finally finished chapter 9(though it was a lot shorter than I would have liked),and I will begin working on chapter 10 sometime after the 19th since finals are coming up soon. 

Well, here's a heads up of what may come up after I finish this. Just some ideas of mine, though if I do publish them, I'll probably have a "Duck Dodgers" category set up for them, since I really think it should be separate from the rest of Looney Tunes (it has its own rules, characters and exists in a separate universe). Please note **there is no guarantee that any of these will be posted** (except for the prequel)

1. Dodgers and the Wolf: **NOT **a parody of "Peter and the Wolf"(just the title). Actually is a werewolf story. Probably for next Halloween.

2. Lenningrad: a songfic for the song "Lenningrad", a Cold War ballad by Billy Joel.

3. OMG a death fic! That's right, you heard me!

4. Like Trying to Touch a Star: Angsty piece from Marv's POV on the Queen's and Dodgers' wedding day. Already finished and on Deviant Art if you're impatient. Under the user name Martiangirl.

5. Woe to the Commander: Dodgers and Cadet get thrown forward 3000 years into the future. Earth and Mars are destroyed except for a tiny resistence that escaped destruction. Dodger's first mission? Help rescue an officer that has fallen into the insane clutches of Dr. Woe(you're wondering how he survived, too, right?)

6.Repercussions: The Martian Queen gets some ill advice from one of her servants. In an effort to win back Dodgers, she decides to get him jealous by getting a "new consort"(come on, guess). Only problem is, her new love interest doesn't know it's all an act.

7. The prequel: Ah, yes, the long awaited back story to "Appearances". Not sure, but I might divide it into 3 parts: Marv's and Mark's childhood, military time, and life on Earth. Not a kid's fic if I have my way with it (and I probably will)

8. Yet another time travel fic. Dodgers goes back in time to witness and be a part of Marv's life as a kid.

9. "All's Fair in Love and War: In the proud tradition of ripping the innocence from children's cartoons, this has to be the darkest thing I've come up with yet. Involves rape, mental and emotional manipulation, and attempted suicide among other things. Not entirely sure, but will probably end up a slash story (don't know what that is? Look it up. It's quite easy.) Hey, if you think this is bad, you should see what they're doing to Harry Potter! Don't like it, don't read it, but it's being written for a special friend of mine who will not be mentioned at this time. You have been warned! Probably won't go up for a long time, if ever.

Well (if I have any readers left) that's all folks!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of Warner Bros. or are inspired by them in some way. No money being made, just some harmless fun, okay?**

Language key

thoughts single quotation marks ('')**  
Martian bold**_  
Interstellar basic __italics_  
EnglishNormal 

**Chapter 10**

'Okay, let's go over the facts.' Swackhammer thought to himself 'One. I dragged a tanked Martian all the way back to Mars because I had heard from some of my informants that the Queen was out for him and might offer a sum for his return. Two. Turns out I brought home the wrong one and got arrested. Three. I have just been broken out of jail by another Martian, the former general to be precise, who last I had heard, hated me with as much passion as Marvin did. All for a part of some crazy scheme to start a political revolution. Okay, got it.'

"_So. . . uh. . . why do you want to get rid of your queen anyway?"_ Swackhammer broke the silence that had been hanging in air.

"_I don't remember requesting chatter." _The Martian woman snarled as she led them though the corridors.

"_Just curious is all. I remember you and your little boyfriend fighting tooth-and-nail in her name. Now you want to deck her off." _Nailah turned toward Swackhammer and studied him. It was a while before she turned and continued walking.

"_It is my right." _She stated simply. Guess she found it safe enough to speak this information with him. _"Our system wasn't always what it is now. A few thousand years ago Mars used to appoint their royalty. Monarchs would observe those who worked in the court and would choose one who they believed were best suited to rule after them when they retired. I had been a loyal guard for decades under several rulers. I was able to claw my way up to the top to become the most respected general in Martian history, a leader of the elite warriors in the military. The king had sworn an oath that I would be his candidate after him. He had never wavered in his promise, even when his children were born."_

"_Well, obviously something happened."_

"_I was away on a five-year mission. By the time I returned, the king had died of unexplainable causes and his son had claimed the throne." _She suddenly whirled to face him, her calm facade gone. _"He stole what was rightfully mine! I wasn't even notified until it was too late. He had already procured some popularity amongst the population and a vast number of supporters. I was outmatched. So I decided to bide my time. I needed allies and an army of my own, one that would challenge that of the royals. It took me a few generations but I finally managed."_

"_And you need me because. . .?"_

"_Because you are a slimy conniving repulsive brute who wouldn't hesitate to commit the lowest of acts if it would earn him some extra coinage."_

"_Glad to know you think so highly about me."_ The brutish alien muttered, with a hint of pleasure in his voice.

"_I cannot just expect to strut into the palace and expect to make demands." _Swackhammer stiffened at the remembrance of doing just that. _"I cannot afford to get my hands dirty in this if I can help it. It would arouse too much trouble, especially if I want to reclaim the throne. I need the Queen taken care of. . . I assume you're smart enough know what I'm speaking of."_

"_Crystal."_

"_Some of my informants inside the palace have told me that apparently the Queen has given up on ever acquiring a consort and producing a spawn. She has adopted an heir, so I'll require that you to do away with her as well. Understood?"_

"_So I'm just your hired hit man? Well, I've done worse."_

"_Mark my words, Swackhammer, that you are not _that _vital a part in my plans. I don't trust you and if you do anything to double-cross me, you won't live to regret it. There are plenty of other scum in this galaxy who would be more than willing to do what I require. . .and they aren't nearly as hard on the eyes as you are."_

"_So what do I get out of all of this?"_

"_I should think that my saving you from the gallows would have been enough of a reward."_

"_Until my usefulness is up and you decide to sick your little rebel army on me. I'm still a wanted criminal." _She seemed to think this over.

"_I suppose I might be lenient enough to allow you a week's head start before I officially have to hunt you down again."_

"_Three!"_

"_Ten days! That's my final offer. Remember, Swackhammer, you are still expendable at this point."_ Swackhammer muttered irritably to himself, but he found himself nodding.

"_Deal."_

* * *

Sam paced anxiously back and forth in the cell, waiting for the Martian officer to turn up again. He said something about having to "check up on the situation" before they could figure out what they needed to do. But they had been sitting around waiting for nearly an hour. How much longer was he going to take! 

"Will you sit down for ten minutes!" Daffy finally snapped "You're giving me a migraine!"

"Good, at least all this waiting won't be for nothing!"

"Look I didn't ask to be apart of your little quest! Because of you and that. . .whatever the hell that other guy's supposed to be, we're all in some stupid Martian jail until they decide to dissect us or put us on display in some freaky zoo!" Daffy turned suddenly toward Sam. "Well, you know what? I ain't stickin' around to find out what those Martian perverts have in store. I'm headin' back on the first ship off this rock. I'd suggest you do the same but I know how much you want to stay here and save your little groupie. Take my advice and leave the little twerp with the rest of his filthy kind."

"He's not my groupie!" Sam snarled defensively. Then as an afterthought, he spoke up again. "And what's your problem anyway! You've been giving Marv a hard time ever since he stepped foot back home! Even when Chuck asked you two ta bury the hatchet, you can't even find it in yourself to grant the man's last wish. And for what!"

"Excuuuuse me, since when did you turn in Gandhi! I don't remember you being so chummy in the beginning either! You were an' me were on the same line for the longest time." Sam's curled in disgust for a moment, but shook it off.

"Yeah, well, at least I got over it. I can see ya maybe actin' this way to the rabbit or hell, a long list of others, since you got so many damn enemies! Maybe if Marv shot you or somethin', though if he does now it'll probably be 'cause I told 'im to."

"Oh please, you act like he's some freakin' innocent! I suppose you forgot how he actually tried to pass himself off as toon in the beginning. He played us all for idiots. Now why would he keep something like that from the people he's living with if there wasn't something else going on in that head? Have you ever heard of an alien who came to Earth with the intention of spreading peace and love throughout the universe!" There was a slight pause before Daffy continued on his tirade. "I didn't think so. If he had nothing to hide, why wasn't he up front?"

"Maybe he didn't feel like puttin' up with racist morons like you!"

"You know it's funny you said you'd understand why I abuse the little runt if he had shot me. You know what he did the first day we met? He pulled a gun on me!" Sam quirked his eye in slight shock, but he refused to let the comment shake him.

"Well, so what? You're always getting shot at! You're just _that _damn annoying! Me and Fudd take turns pluggin' holes in you for kicks plenty times."

"Maybe, but you and Elmer know I won't take any damage. I had a little chat with Chuck. The Martian knew next to nothing about toons back then. He couldn't possibly have known that I would have lived through a laser through the brain. The little jerk was actually shocked when I came out with just a chest hole and displaced beak!" Sam stood back speechless for a moment. He hadn't heard of such an incident from either Marv or Daffy until now. Daffy laid back on the cot and stared up at the metallic ceiling.

"He just lost his temper and snapped. What's to stop him from pulling the same stunt on someone who ain't just gonna dust it off? A director or crew person? Maybe some snotty little sci-fi fan who just rubs him the wrong way?" Sam was silent for a moment before he spoke again with more resolution.

"Marv's grown past that. If he can put up with _you_ for fifty years without killing you or himself, he can deal with anythin'."

"Guess I shouldn't tell ya about the other little habit he just got over."

"You just hate him 'cause he ain't an Earther. Marv can't help what he is! Just like you can't help being an as-"

"Problem, gentlemen?" The Martian from before entered the cell just in time to keep the squabble from escalating too far.

"'Bout time you got back! What took ya!" Sam's wrath turned toward a different target.

"Well, the captain's still interrogating your other friend. So far, he's admitting to nothing, so he could be here a while. It'll be. . .difficult to pry him away and time isn't our friend. I must ask you. What do you want of me? Do you wish for me to try and smuggle him out with the rest of you or leave him here for now? It's your decision."

"He's no friend of ours," the short human grumbled. After a moment's afterthought he spoke again. "We'll pick him up later. Never let it be said that I'm at the same level as that lowlife."

"Okay, if that's your decision. . .I am going to try to see if I can get you out of here. If I can convince my supervisor that you are just simple creatures without the capacity for any real intelligent thought."

"HEY!" Daffy stood up indignantly.

"Will you shut your pet duck up?" The Martian looked at Sam with a hint of panic. "I'm not the only translator in the precinct. If anyone figures out that you two are smarter than you look, we'll all be in more trouble than it's worth! Most Martians hold some pretty negative stereotypes about you folks. No offense but it _did_ take you longer than most to evolve to this stage."

"So what if we can talk?" Daffy challenged the alien. "Isn't that a part of your job!"

"In theory maybe. When dealing with Earthlings, there's. . .certain. . .expectations. It's like learning sign language to communicate with an ape. You figure it knows enough to name objects or ask for a banana, but you don't exactly expect it to ask you what your thoughts are on quantum mechanics." Somehow the thought of being compared to a gorilla didn't do much to calm the duck.

* * *

"_While we're on the subject of rooting out one's past, what brought you to Mars in the first place? I would have thought that you would be tempted to avoid a place where the people would be prone to shoot you on sight." _Swackhammer ignored the little jab, but decided he could afford to give an explanation. Besides, if he refused, she probably would drag it out of him anyway if she wished. 

"_Just some idiot contact. Told me that the Queen is looking for some Martian runaway and might offer some compensation for bringin' them in. Only description I got was that he was in the force a while back. And since I knew only one little bug that was hiding away from Her Highness, I figured it was probably Marv. Figured I could work out a pardon or something if I turned him in." _The Martian in front of him nearly smashed him into a wall, in contrast to her delicate appearance.

"_What did you say! Who did you bring here!"_

"_Don't you remember your little boytoy who used to cling to ya? Or maybe you've replaced him since then, not that I blame you!" _Swackhammer just received a sharp jab in his gut, enough to knock the wind out of him. The woman let him crumble to the ground as she paced.

"_So Marvin's back home, is he?" _She muttered to herself with some satisfaction. _"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I broke you out, Swackhammer! This will definitely save me some time. Now I just have to figure out a way to. . ." _Swackhammer tried to pick out the pieces of speech from his position on the floor. Finally, the lady whipped out a communicator and began speaking to, what he assumed to be, some of her followers.

"_Contact the others and tell them that we will be having a debriefing once I arrive. Turns out there has been a slight change in our previous plans."_

* * *

"**What was that all about Mother?"** A tall thin girl hesitantly walked into the Queen's bedroom. 

"**What do you mean?"** The Queen had her suspicions that her inquisitive daughter had probably heard the loud exchange between her and the former Commander. She _would_ have to be the only person on the planet to be able to hear through sound proof walls

"**I heard voices, at some points shouting, coming from your room. I think half of Mars heard you. And then I saw a boy storming out." **The Queen had to stifle a smirk. She wondered how the Martian would react if he knew someone had thought he resembled a child.

"**It's. . .complicated, dear, but I suppose I could explain. But why are you so curious?"**

"**Well. . .he did sort of jet out rather quickly. I barely got a glimpse. Although what I did see looked rather cute. And I don't think I ever heard anyone raise their voice to you. . .at least not and live."**

"**Oh you exaggerate so much! You know I only imprison them for life."** She said jokingly.

"**It doesn't matter anyway. That's not why I'm here."** She made herself comfortable on the plush bed.

"**I could have guessed that** **much."**

"**Have I ever told you how much I love you?"** The younger Martian wrapped her mother into a warm hug and kissed her on the cheek. The older woman smiled at her daughter's affection and spoke to her sweetly.

"**You are not going to that festival in town."**

"**Aww! Why NOT!"** The irritated teenager threw herself from her parent and collapsed in a defeated heap on the bed.

"**We've already discussed this! These are dangerous times."**

"**You _never_ let me leave these grounds. By the time this war is over I'll be in my wheelchair knitting mittens for my grandchildren, which will be the products of the children I adopted since I'm obviously never going to have a boyfriend let alone a husband."**

"**You know, I thought _I _was the Queen of Drama, but I must turn in my crown and prostrate myself before the Goddess!"** The Queen earned a fairly rough pillow smack in response.

"**Now, now, you know I'm just teasing." **She drew her child into an encouraging embrace. **"Cheer up. This won't last forever. Pretty soon, this will all be over and you will be free to break the hearts of every eligible bachelor within a five-planet radius. Then you'll probably marry, move away. In a few years time, I'll be sitting by the phone, waiting anxiously for any call from you, but you'll be too busy for the likes of me. You may only call once every few months to complain about how your partner forgot your anniversary _again_ or how they snuck off with friends to go fishing instead of cleaning out the garage like you asked. Oh occasionally you'll come over on holidays, dragging your unwilling spouse and guilt tripping your children into visiting their 'poor lonely sick granny who may not be around much longer' on this world."**

"**Are you sure you want to give up your crown so quickly? 'Cause right now, you offering some rather stiff competition."** Her mother gave her a playful smack on the shoulder.

"**Run along, you. I'm sure you have a million better things to do."** The girl got up and headed for the door.

"**Oh Mom, you have some people out here to see you."** She called out as the doors slid open.

"**Oh, that's all right, send them in."** The Queen was not too surprised to see the Commander, although she did wonder why he was with Jacob.

* * *

Marvin turned to watch the girl go. So the Queen had a daughter. . . a rather attractive daughter at that. Oh gods he really had been on Earth too long. He really needed to get a girlfriend once of these days. 

"**I would appreciate it if you didn't ogle my daughter, Commander." **The Queen's acidic tone snapped him back to attention.

"**Sorry." **Marvin managed a bit sheepishly. He hadn't meant to stare.

"**I assume you have some business that you wish to discuss." **She shifted the topic away to something more neutral.

"**Well, I believe your little spy was eager to speak with you first. Jake?" **The taller Martian glared at Marvin.

"**Thank you so much." **He spat, before his bitterness left him as he turned his attention toward his Queen.

"**Oh boy. . .um. . .well. . .how do I start this?" **He stumbled over his own words as his mind raced to come up with an explanation. **"Well, you see it's like this. . .it's about the princess . . .well actually more about Nailah. . .or both depending on your point of view. . .actually it's pretty funny when you think about it. . ." **Dear gods, he was in trouble!

"**Speed it up Jacob! I don't have all night! What about my daughter! Is she in danger?" **The Queen's tone switched rapidly from impatient annoyance to sincere worry. Marvin irritably drummed his fingers against his arm.

"**Unfortunately, but there's a bit of an interesting twist. . . the thing is. . . uh, Marvin?" **Marvin glanced up at the mention of his name.

"**In the hall. . . you were just eyeing up your niece."**

* * *

I'm sort of trying to take a cue from J.K. Rowling and leave tiny insignificant clues around the story that might play a significant part either later in the story or in the prequel. Kinda like in the beginning where Marvin remembered incriminating that purple alien musician and later on we see Melvin and his hatred of all things Martian (hint hint. wink wink). Well, actually that was just a weird coincidence that turned out to work well. But similar stuff I'll be trying to put in. Keep an eye out for them. Isn't it just annoying? ;) 


End file.
